Mayor Tory’s Gardiner, DVP toll good
for Toronto, says U of T Expert
Toronto Mayor John Tory announced plans on November 24th to
implement a $2 road toll for the Gardiner Expressway and Don Va lley
Parkway, hoping to generate muchneeded income for the city.
The highways carry thousands of
commuters in and out of the city each
day, but Tory said the tolls would raise
$200 million every year – funds that
could then be used for transit costs and
expansion projects. With $33 billion in
unfunded capital projects, the city is
in need of a new source of revenue, he
said.
Tory also proposed a number of
cost-cutting measures such as a hotel
tax and a 2.6-per-cent reduction in the
operating budget of city divisions like
police and libraries.
University of Toronto’s Institute
on Municipal Finance & Governance
(IMFG), which is part of the Munk
School of Global Affairs, released a paper this week outlining different taxing
options for cities like Toronto in order
to generate revenue.
U of T News spoke with Enid Slack,
IMFG director and co-author of the report about Tory’s toll proposal and alternative revenue sources.
Why does Toronto need more
sources of revenue?
What we’ve talked about in our paper is really the demands on municipal
expenditures and how they’ve changed
over the last 30 years – so for things
like roads and transit, investing in
infrastructure that’s deteriorating, investing in new infrastructure.
Our cities over the last 30 years
are more interested in being more internationally competitive and that
means not only providing water, sewer,
roads and the traditional services but
also making our cities very livable so
we can attract young, skilled workers.
Frankly, they can go anywhere, but we

DVP at 401– pic: Danielle Scott
cidents, less policing costs. There are
want them to come here.
The list goes on and on for the ex- a whole lot of benefits over and above
penditure side of the budget, but when just the revenue.
The point with tolls is that the users
we get to the revenue side and look
over the last 30 years, nothing much of the road are paying for it – whether
has changed. Cities in Canada have they live in Toronto or somewhere else.
property taxes, user fees and some And if the money is put into improvprovincial and federal transfers so the ing the roads or into transit, everybody
time has come to think about what oth- benefits as well.
Tory also proposed a hotel tax durer sources of revenue are appropriate
ing today’s announcement – an inifor cities.
When we looked at cities around the tiative included in the IMFG paper –
world – they all have other sources of what can this kind of levy provide for
revenue. They are not reliant on prop- the city?
Hotel tax has advantages because
erty taxes as their only source of revenue. This is not as bold as you might it’s a tax on visitors. When visitors
think. Other cities are doing this, and come to the city, they use services.
other cities have tolls on their major They walk on the streets. They use
parks and policing services, and they
roads.
Other than generating income, don’t pay any taxes in Toronto. A howhat are the benefits to introduc- tel tax is a way to get tourists to pay
for some of the services they use when
ing road tolls?
The obvious benefit is to reduce con- they’re in the city. Other cities in Canagestion so that fewer people will get in da have hotel taxes – Vancouver, other
their cars – maybe they’ll carpool or B.C. municipalities, Montreal, Charmaybe they’ll take transit. It has a lot lottetown. When you look around the
of time benefits for people and environ- world, many cities have hotel taxes.
How can Torontonians be conmental benefits – less pollution, fewer
health care costs as a result, fewer ac- vinced that increased taxes or

Mayor John Tory
taxes on more services will benefit
them in the long-run?
We shouldn’t start the conversation
with taxes. We should start the conversation with what’s our vision for cities
in Canada. What do we want to see?
People know what they want. They
want good services. They want good
transit. They want roads that aren’t
congested.
They want parks. They want libraries. And we have to pay for them. If
they have some understanding that
those taxes are paying for these services, that they are getting something for
their taxes, I think they’re less unwilling to pay taxes.
Some politicians will also need
convincing that taxes are a good
idea. How can that be done?
If we want a great city, we all have
to understand – citizens and politicians
– that we will have to pay for it. If we
don’t, our cities will crumble. Infrastructure will deteriorate. The services
won’t be very good, and people won’t be
very happy when that happens.
– Courtesy: U of T news

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on National Child Day
Ottawa, Ontario - November 20, 2016
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau,
today issued the following statement to
mark National Child Day:
“Every day, I am energized by the potential of Canada’s young people. I am
equally concerned by the challenges they
face, and deeply aware that the decisions
we make today will shape the world they
will one day inherit.
“That is why, on National Child Day, I
encourage all Canadians to celebrate our
children and youth, and to reflect on the
obligation that we have to our children
and grandchildren.
“Each child deserves to be raised in an
environment that is free of violence, dis-

11th year in circulation

crimination, and exploitation; to grow up
with proper nutrition, health care, and
a good education; and to have a voice in
matters that affect them, and a real, fair
chance to succeed.
“The Government of Canada remains
committed to programs that help every
child get the best possible start in life and
reach their full potential. Here, at home,
we are giving Canadian families more
money to help with the high cost of raising their kids through the new Canada
Child Benefit, which stands to lift about
300,000 children out of poverty. We are
also working with our international partners to create environments where all
children are treated with dignity and

respect, and given all the opportunities
they need to succeed.
‘While the world has made significant
progress in advancing children’s rights
since the introduction of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, there is
still a lot of work to do. Millions of children and young people continue to be denied basic human rights – including education, primary health care, and personal
security. Many more are forced into early
marriages, recruited as child soldiers, or
become victims of child labour.
“On this day, Sophie and I invite all
Canadians to join us in celebrating National Child Day by speaking to children
of all ages about their rights. We also

urge you to visit the National Child Day
website for activities and events in your
communities marking this special day.
“Canada’s future is only as strong and
boundless as the dreams and aspirations
of our children and youth. We must support them in everything they do and want
to be.”
- pm.gc.ca

Renewing our Sense of
International Solidarity
As the 2016 holiday season is now upon us,
it has generally been traversed by a common
theme about giving back to those less fortunate.
The United Nations, in particular, has been
quite vocal on this idea when considering its impact for numerous communities. Marked on December 20, International Human Solidarity Day
portrays this.
Solidarity is purported as the backbone of
the United Nations, in that it was founded by
nation-states coming together to advance peace,
human rights, and social and economic development. Furthermore, the notion of collective security among these states views each other as in
unity “to maintain international peace and security.” A way this has been expressed on an ongoing basis was the establishment of the World
Solidarity Fund in February 2003 as part of the
United Nations Development Programme. Its
goal is to eliminate poverty and, subsequently,
promote human development within some of the
poorest areas of countries’ populations.
Observing the day itself means celebrating
our unity in diversity and a day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity.
This may seem all the more critical given recent
events in the United States of America. Ideally, however, with the theme of giving back during the holidays, it aimed to encourage debate
on the ways to promote solidarity to achieve the
UN Millennium Development Goals, such as
poverty eradication. In commemorating this day
last year, the UN Department of Economic and
Social Affairs organized a “what does solidarity mean to you?” campaign. Citizens across the
globe were asked to create a message, picture,
or 15 second video on what cause they supported. Under its 2015 theme of “Shared Progress
& Prosperity based on Global Solidarity,” this
anti-poverty direction became redefined with
world governments adopting the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) on January 1, 2016.
Succeeding the MDGs, it is considered a highly
inclusive development agenda for the globe.
Accordingly, from the poor to the middle in-

come to the rich, the SDGs exhort all countries
to promote prosperity and protect the planet
in a complementary fashion. On the SDGs, in
2015, the now outgoing Secretary-General Ban
Ki-Moon, noted that the Paris Agreement on climate change represents a crucial contribution to
our planet’s wellbeing. Furthermore, collectively, we must challenge those spreading baseless
xenophobic and discriminatory fears of individuals fleeing from violent extremists in their communities. This certainly remains highly relevant
as the year of 2016 nears its conclusion.
By 2030, one goal is “to end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor
and people in vulnerable situations, including
infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all
year round”. Another goal is to “empower and
promote social, economic and political inclusion
of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race,
ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other
status. To advance this day-to-day means getting involved in public affairs and advancing the
very causes that can contribute to these 17 distinct goals. Whether it is participating in local
food drives to holiday-gift giving campaigns, it is
these small actions at this time of the year and
all year round that we can stand in solidarity for
human progress.
Contributed by Harrish Thirukumaran

2017

“

Season’s greetings to all our Readers,
Advertisers, Friends & Well-Wishers
“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”

- George Eliot (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880) English novelist, poet and journalist

Printing the Winds of Change around us All lands home, all men kin.

“

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No contents in Monsoon Journal may be printed without the written consent of the Publisher. The views and opinions expressed in the articles in Monsoon Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Publisher. While all efforts have been made to ensure accuracy Monsoon Journal is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the contents. Advertisers are responsible for the contents in the Advertisements and all liabilities for their claimers. To place community and non profit organization news submit by email to: toronto@monsoonjournal.com Tel: 416-358-3235.
MONSOON JOURNAL CIRCULATION: Toronto(GTA), Scarborough, Markham, Mississauga, Brampton, Pickering, Ajax, Vaughan, Waterloo. “Source for Multi Ethnic Exposure”
DISCLAIMER: Opinions and Interpretations appearing in the newspaper are those of the writers and need not be necessarily of Monsoon Journal. For additional any other information contact Monsoon Journal at 416-358-3235

4

www.monsoonjournal.com

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Canada News
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath statement on

Ontario Working to
International Day for the Elimination
Close
Gender
Wage
Gap
of Violence against Women
25 November - One third of women
around the world will experience violence in their lives, often by someone
they know and trust. Half of all women
killed will be murdered by intimate
partners. Here in Canada, First Nations women and girls face an epidemic
of violence, with hundreds missing or
murdered.
Around the world, and in our own
backyard, women’s rights that have
been taken for granted for decades are
being threatened, putting women’s
safety in danger.
Women deserve better. Violence
against women and girls is a problem
that affects everyone, and it will take
everyone working together to stop it.
Ontario’s New Democrats are committed to working to bring an end to

violence against
women.
New
Democrats want
to work alongside all Ontarians to build a
province where
women and girls
are
respected,
safe, and given every opportunity to
thrive. And we want to build a community and justice system where victims
of intimate violence are supported and
believed, not re-victimized.
We can be proud of the protections
and rights that have been entrenched
for women in Canada, but we must
never become complacent. Together,
let’s build a future free from violence
against women and girls.

Liberals keep hold of Ottawa
- Vanier with convincing win

The provincial riding of OttawaVanier stayed red in a byelection on
November 17th, electing Liberal candidate Nathalie Des Rosiers.
Nathalie Des Rosiers is a well
known professor of constitutional law
expert. She served as the General
Counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, (CCLA) a national

organization that acts as a watchdog
for the protection of human rights and
civil liberties in Canada, from 2009 to
2013.
Although considered a safe Liberal seat, there was concern the riding
would be snatched by the Progressive
Conservative candidate and former
Ontario Ombudsman André Marin.

New Working Group Will Provide
Advice Leading to Positive Change:
Ontario is continuing its work to
close the gender wage gap and support
higher participation for women in the
workforce by establishing a working
group to help guide the province’s action plan to close the gap.
Nov 24, 2016 – Today on the 30th
anniversary of the introduction of Ontario’s Pay Equity Act, Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn announced the new
working group, including 14 organizations and two community members
representing business, labour, human
resources and women’s advocacy. The
group will provide advice and feedback
on how government can address specific issues and initiatives identified in
the Gender Wage Gap Final Report, including:
-Shared parental leaves
-A gender workplace analysis tool
-A social awareness strategy to help
understand the effects of gender bias,
the gender wage gap and the impor-

tance of closing the gap
-Reviewing pay equity legislation
Closing the gender wage gap and
providing women with equal opportunity in the workforce will bring significant economic benefits, including
boosting the Ontario’s GDP, increasing
personal incomes across the province
and boosting performance and competitiveness for local businesses.
This panel is part of Ontario’s ongoing work to close the gender wage gap
and improve the lives of women and
families, which also includes creating
100,000 new licensed child care spaces,
ensuring women make up at least 40
per cent of all appointments to provincial boards and agencies by 2019, and
making workplaces, campuses and
communities safer through the Sexual
Violence and Harassment Action Plan.
Supporting women in the workforce
is part of our plan to create jobs, grow
our economy and help people in their
everyday lives.
– Ontario.ca

PC candidate wins
Niagara West - Glanbrook New Gormley GO Station to Provide
Statement from Ontario PC Leader
Patrick Brown:
November 17, 2016
“Today the people of Niagara West—
Glanbrook sent a message to Kathleen
Wynne. That they’re tired of skyrocketing hydro bills and rising wait times.
That they’re tired of waiting months
for surgeries and having less money
in their pockets. And that they’re tired
of life getting harder under the Liberals. “Voters have made it clear that
only the Ontario PCs will look out for
their interests. Sam Oosterhoff will be
a strong advocate for this community
at Queen’s Park and I welcome him to
the PC Caucus.”

Statement from Ontario PC Niagara West—Glanbrook MPP-elect Sam
Oosterhoff:
“I am humbled by the tremendous support of the people of Niagara
West—Glanbrook today. I intend on
fighting for them as their representative and I look forward to joining Patrick Brown’s PC team at Queen’s Park.
“Today, once again the Ontario PCs
were chosen over Kathleen Wynne’s
tired, scandal-plagued Liberal Party.
We will work to hold them accountable
while building an even stronger party
that will be competitive in every region
of this province in 2018.”
(ontariopc.com)

More Transit Options in Richmond Hill

Ontario is opening the new Gormley
GO station in Richmond Hill, providing more transit options and improving
commutes for families in York Region:
Starting Dec. 5, five morning and
five afternoon GO train trips will serve
the new station along the Richmond
Hill line, near Stouffville Rd. and Highway 404. GO buses will also serve the
new station, with two-way midday service between Gormley and Union Station, as well as night-time service from
Union.
The station features 850 parking
spaces, electric vehicle charging sta-

tions, a bus loop, a kiss-and-ride area,
heated shelters, and a platform snowmelt system for customer convenience.
Ontario is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals,
schools, public transit, roads and bridges in the province’s history. To learn
more about what’s happening in your
community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.
Building new transit infrastructure
and improving GO service is part of our
plan to create jobs, grow our economy
and help people in their everyday lives.
– Ontario.ca

Cuban Revolutionary dictator Fidel Castro dead
By Siva Sivapragasam
The man from a tiny impoverished
country who fought the most powerful
nation in the world (USA) and considered that “a revolution is not a bed of
roses and that it is a struggle between
the future and the past”, has died at
age 90.
Mr. Castro taunted 10 successive
U.S. presidents, who considered the
Cuban leader variously as a blowhard nuisance, a dangerous dictator,
a fomenter of revolution around Latin
America, a serial human rights abuser
or an irrelevant sideshow who somehow hung on after the collapse of communism almost everywhere else.
Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba
in 1959 by overthrowing the Batista regime and transformed the country into
a communist state while ruling for five
decades. His death was announced by
his brother Raul Castro over the Cuban
radio but no details were given. Castro
had been ill during the recent years
and rarely gave public appearances.
However, the Cuban leader would always laugh off speculation about his
health. With an athletic build, and
physical stamina that lasted deep into
his 70s, it seemed he would continue to
rule for many more years.
The Cuban Government never gave
details of his illness even when he said

Castro is no more,
but the revolution he unleashed
persists reflecting aspirations of
Africa, Asia and Latin America
he was resigning for health reasons.
But it was widely reported he had
complications involving diverticulitis,
an intestinal ailment common in older
people.
Castro once remarked when he
stopped smoking cigars “I reached the
conclusion long ago that the one last
sacrifice I must make for (Cuban) public health is to stop smoking. I haven’t
really missed it that much.”
Castro told Indian Prime Minister Nehru that he could not get a hotel room in New York to attend a UN
Conference. He had complained to UN
Secretary General Dag Hammerskjold
about this and said that he would be
compelled to stay on the UN compound
but then somehow had found himself
an accommodation in Harlem.
With the death of Fidel Castro, the
last of the iconic revolutionary figures
of the 20th century is now no more. The
word, “revolutionary” is a bit too easily bandied out these days to describe
leaders, but there is no better description to encapsulate the 90-year-old Cuban leader’s life and achievements.
The son of a rich landowner, Fidel

— as he has always been called by his
compatriots, his fellow Cubans and
many in the Third World — began his
political career as a militant student
leader committed to social justice and
the establishment of a corruption-free
government in Cuba. Later, he became
part of movements that sought to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista who came to power in 1952 through
a coup.
It is difficult to sum up his life in a
few words. With Fidel’s passing away,
the era of state-led socialism can now
be called to have officially ended. But
his ideas on internationalism: a truly
democratic world order and solidarity
among the people of the third world; a
thorough reorientation of the state to
promote overall human development;
– hold true and important today and
for the foreseeable future. The Cuban’s
muerte (death) will not just be mourned in his patria (fatherland), but the
world over. Fidel is no more, but the
revolution he unleashed, persists.
Castro ruled the country for almost
half a century and is admired by leftists and some in developing nations
who view him as a revolutionary who
stood up to the United States during
the Cold War. Others, however, viewed
the late leader as a dictator who oppressed Cubans and caused economic
hardship that sparked an exodus of

Cubans to Florida.
A lieutenant and his squad once
captured Castro and some of his comrades. Castro hid his identity for fear
of execution at the spot. The soldiers
wanted to kill Castro and the guerrillas. The lieutenant walked about calming them down. “You cannot kill ideas.”
He repeated, “you cannot kill ideas.”
It was hope and a genuine sense of
belief that captured Castro’s personality which can be summed up on what he
said in his customary green fatigues at
the UN World Conference on Racism in
2001. “I believe in the mobilisation and
the struggle of the peoples!” he said. “I
believe in the idea of justice! I believe
in truth! I believe in man!”
(Picture Courtesy: Reuters)

Criminal Defence Lawyer

Edward H. Royle & Associates, LLP

Know Your Rights*
Have you been charged
with assault?
It is a serious offence to assault a loved one. Section 265(1) of the Criminal Code deﬁnes assault in
various ways. While most people recognize that hitting someone is an assault, many do not realize
that even holding up your ﬁst in a threatening manner qualiﬁes.
In Ontario, police tend to have a zero tolerance policy for domestic charges. If any allegation is
made that can support a conviction, charges will be laid, no matter how minor the alleged assault
is.
It is important to note that it is not the complainant who is laying the charge. After police are
contacted, the police lay the charge. Once a charge is laid, the complainant does not have the
ability to drop the charge.
If you are facing a criminal charge, you can depend on me to advocate for you and help you
through the process. As an experienced Criminal Defence Lawyer at Edward Royle & Associates,
one of the largest criminal defence ﬁrms in the country, I understand the crippling effects a criminal
conviction can have on your work prospects, travel and reputation. Efficiency and conﬁdentiality
are the hallmark of my practice. In addition, I also speak Tamil.

For a free consultation, contact me at

647-622-3911.
*Please note: The material on this advertisement is not intended as legal advice.
If you are the alleged victim/complainant (not the person charged), I cannot
offer advice. Please contact your local Victims Services office for assistance.

6

www.monsoonjournal.com

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Around the World

Monument of slain Tamil Parliamentarian
N. Raviraj unveiled in Sri Lanka North
A monument of late Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Nadarajah
Raviraj was unveiled in Chavakachcheri,
Jaffna on November 20th. TNA members
and others paid glowing tribute to the
widely respected parliamentarianat the
event.
Speaking at the memorial event, TNA
Jaffna district Member of Parliament
M.A. Sumanthiran said that Raviraj
truly believed and functioned in a way
to directly explain the people of the majority community on Tamils’ demand
for equal rights. When our plight is explained and what we ask is equal rights
and not a take-over their (majority community’s) rights, in an approach of speaking the truth and building goodwill can
result in the greater benefit to our quest
as equal citizens in this country, ‘Maamanithar’ Nadarajah Raviraj believed,
M.A. Sumanthiran MP emphasized. The
greater number of the majority community like all communities are reasonable in
their thinking with regard to each other,
M.A. Sumanthiran pointed out.
M.A. Sumanthiran recalled his memorial lecture two years ago marking
the Death Anniversary of N Raviraj and

pledging to adopt these approaches going
forward as “soft power” to win over Tamils’ demands. Despite how far we have to
go, how far we have come has been made
possible by adopting this “soft power”,
M.A. Sumanthiran asserted. He said
now there are positive responses arising
from various Tamil commentators about

the proposed solutions that have been
submitted on November 19th in the first
interim report to the Constitutional Assembly.
A number of ministers including the
Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne,
Opposition leader R. Sampanthan, TNA
MP Mavai Senathirajah and General
Secretary of TULF Anandasangaree

were also in attendance at the ceremony.
Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA)
Jaffna District Parliamentarian and
Lawyer Nadarajah Raviraj and his Police
bodyguard Sgt. Lakshman Lokuwella
were gunned down in Sri Lanka’s capital
city Colombo, in broad daylight ten years
ago, on November 10, 2006.

Around the World
Nikki Haley, daughter of Indian immigrants As Cuba mourns passing of former
appointed US Ambassador to the United
President Fidel Castro, Ban offers
Nations by President Elect Donald Trump
condolences, UN support
By Siva Sivapragasam

Nikki Haley, born to Indian immigrants from Punjab as Nimrata Randhawa and currently the South Carolina
Governor will become US Ambassador
to the United Nations. She will be the
first woman and minority in President
Elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
She will be the first woman tapped
for a top-level administration post

Power, who has represented the United States at the United Nations since
2013.The choice of Haley may be aimed
at countering criticism of Trump’s divisive comments about immigrants and
minorities, as well as accusations of
sexism during his election campaign.
Announcing
the
appointment,
Trump said, “She will be a great leader
representing us on the world stage.”

Fidel Castro Ruz, President of Cuba addressing the General Assembly at
UN Headquarters in New York in 1979. UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata

during the White House transition so
far. As the Permanent Representative to the UN, Haley will be the first
woman and non-white appointed to a
high-level post in Trump’s incoming
administration. The move comes as
Mr. Trump’s advisers are seeking to
diversify his ranks and marks his first
female appointment to a Cabinet-level
post, The Washington Post reported.
Mr. Trump’s plan to offer the job
to 44-year-old Haley, a rising Republican star and daughter of Indian immigrants, was first reported by The
Washington Post and Courier
Haley’s parents immigrated to
Canada from Amritsar,Punjab after
her father received a scholarship offer from the University of British Columbia. After earning his PhD in 1969,
Ajit moved his young family to South
Carolina to accept a position as a professor at Voorhees College.Her husband is an officer in the South Carolina
Army National Guard and was sent on
a year-long deployment to Afghanistan
in January 2013.The couple have two
children, Rena and Nalin.
The Economist described Haley as
a politician with high approval ratings
and as combination of “fiscal ferocity
and a capacity for conciliation,”
For the first time, the House of Representatives has four from the IndoAmerican community.Ms. Haley, now
in her second term as South Carolina
governor, would succeed Samantha

8

Gov. Nikki Haley issued the following statement after becoming
the choice of President-elect Donald J. Trump as America’s next
Ambassador at the United Nations:
COLUMBIA, S.C. – November 23,
2016 - “Six years ago, South Carolinians bestowed upon me the greatest
honor of my life. They took a chance on
a little-known, 38-year old, minority,
female governor – something our state
had never done before. I will be forever
grateful, and I expect I will never again
receive a higher honor.
“In the six years that followed, our
state has reached incredible heights.
We made South Carolina’s economic
development the envy of the nation
and brought new jobs to every county. We cut our unemployment rate by
more than half, employing more South
Carolinians than ever before. We reformed how we fund education, moving more resources to communities in
greatest need. We passed landmark
ethics reforms that make state government more accountable to our people.
“Our state has also persevered
through some of the most difficult
times. Nature damaged many of us
with the thousand-year flood and Hurricane Matthew. Our hearts were broken for those we lost when tragedy
struck Walter Scott’s family, Mother
Emanuel, and Townville Elementary
School. Yet through it all, the great-

www.monsoonjournal.com

26 November 2016 – Speaking on
behalf of the United Nations, SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon this morning extended condolences to the Cuban people
and to the family of former President Fidel Castro Ruz, who passed away overnight at the age of 90.
“At this time of national mourning, I
offer the support of the United Nations
to work alongside the people of the island,” Mr. Ban told reporters in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he is attending the Global Sustainable Transport
Conference. He offered his particular
condolences to Cuban President Raúl
Castro Ruz. Fidel Castro served as Cuba’s President from 1976 to 2008.
Recalling vividly his meeting with
former President Fidel Castro during a
visit to Cuba in January 2014, Mr. Ban
said the two had held a lively discussion
that covered developments around the
world, sustainable development and climate change.

“Under former President Castro,
Cuba made advances in the fields of education literacy and health. I hope that
Cuba will continue to advance on a path
of reform and greater prosperity,” the
Secretary-General concluded.
A statement issued later in the day
by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson in New York
noted that former President Castro was
an emblematic figure of the Cuban revolution, prominent in Latin America and
influential in world affairs.
“As Prime Minister, President, Commander of the Cuban Armed Forces and
First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, his role at the helm of Cuba
spanned nearly 50 years, during which
he left a major imprint on his country
and on global politics,” the statement
said, adding: “His revolutionary ideals
left few indifferent. He was a strong
voice for social justice in global discussions at the UN General Assembly and
international and regional forums.”

ness of our people overcame those tragedies, even coming together to heal the
old wounds represented by the Confederate Flag on the Statehouse grounds.
“This month’s elections have
brought exciting changes to America.
Our country faces enormous challenges
here at home and internationally. Last
week, President-elect Trump asked if I
would meet with him to discuss those
challenges, which I was happy to do.
He has asked that I serve our country
as our next Ambassador to the United
Nations. Pending confirmation by the
U.S. Senate, I have agreed.
“I always expected to finish the remaining two years of my second term
as governor. Not doing so is difficult
because I love serving South Carolina
more than anything. I was moved to
accept this new assignment for two
reasons.

The first is a sense of duty. When
the President believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation, and to our nation’s
standing in the world, that is a calling
that is important to heed. The second
is a satisfaction with all that we have
achieved in our state in the last six
years and the knowledge that we are
on a very strong footing.
“I will remain as governor until the
U.S. Senate acts affirmatively on my
nomination. We still have much to do
in South Carolina, and my commitment to the people of our state will always remain unbreakable, both while I
continue to hold this office, and thereafter.
“In this holiday season, we all have
much to be thankful for. Michael and I
wish every South Carolinian a joyous
Thanksgiving.”

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Around the World

Great Heroes Day observed
in Sri Lanka North and
across the Globe

ACCOUNTING, TAX AND
OTHER FINANCIAL SERVICES

Great Heroes Day was marked across Sri Lanka North at several locations this
year and in numerous cities around the globe on November 27. Observances were
held in the week preceding at the University of Jaffna as well.
Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages in the Sri Lanka cabinet said early in the month of November that people in
Sri Lanka North can mark “MaaveerarNaal” (Great Heroes Day) provided it is carried out without a political motive. He added that it is a human right for people to be
able to pay homage to their departed loved ones.

Paying tribute in Sri Lanka North

General
• Part time working with full year accounting services including Administration of your
Accounts Division
• Experiences include in following capacities: Senior Accountant, Trained accounting
personnel (including bookkeepers), Instructor in Financial Accounting and Cost
Accounting, Owner managed a medium sized Accounting and Tax Consultancy business.
• Any type of business
• Will call over to your office or home to provide proof of experiences and references
• Excellent services at reasonable fees
Large number of people paid homage
at Markham Fair Grounds in Canada

International Movement for Tamil Culture
Conducted Two-day special
conference in Denmark

Supercharged Plants Aim to
Boost Food Production

Several Scholars Participated in
the International Conference
The International Movement for
Tamil Culture (IMTC) in association
with European Union IMTC led a special conference on Culture, Art and
Literature on November 5 and 6, 2016
in Denmark to discuss the ‘Tamil Heritage and Challenges’ faced by Tamils in
foreign countries.
Tharuman
Tharumakulasingam,
President of International Movement
for Tamil Culture, Denmark, Secretary
of IMTC and Organizer of the conference, addressed the media about the
success of the IMTC’s conference, in
Denmark.
He said that several international
delegates and scholars participated
in the conference including Ryerson
University Lecturer Dr. Uthayakaren
Thurairajah, Professor Murasu Nedumaran (Malaysia), Dr. Subshini
(Germany), Professor Dr. Balasigham
Sugumar (Sri Lanka), Actor & Poet
Nanarajah Kannapu (London), International Tamil Teacher Sam Vijay (France) and several others from
around the world.
The conference was inaugurated by
the Chief Guest Honorable Troels Ravan, Minister of Education and Culture
and Member of Parliament, Denmark
as well as Special Guest Honorable
Sathasivam Viyalenderan, Member of
Parliament, Sri Lanka.
The conference also featured academic sessions in which scholars and
researchers presented papers in Tamil
heritage, language, literature, and culture. An exhibition of ancient Tamil

scripts and historical documents displayed during the conference.
Our Science and Technology section contributor, Uthayan Thurairajah
made a special speech at the conference
and participated several forums including debate forum, poet forum and introduced the heritage and cultural books
of Professor Balasunadaram and Rajaratnam to the audience. He explained
the extraordinary contributions of both
authors and several significant aspects
of the cultural books.
Lecturer Uthayan Thurairajah received an appreciation award for “Meritorious Achievement and Prestigious
Service for his exceptionally admirable
achievement in Research and Education as well as the development of Tamil Anthem and a Remarkable Services
to the Tamil Culture, Literature, and
Spirituality.” He has also conferred a
title of “Kavikko Thiruvasagan”.
Uthayan’s three books and one DVD
introduced in the conference. Professor Murasu Nedumaran (Malaysia)
Introduced Bilingual book “Tamils’ Anthems Among anthems”, and a Tamil
book “The great Humanness”. An actor
& poet Nanarajah Kannapu (London)
introduced a Tamil book “Let us reach
the sky” and a DVD “Thiruvasagaththen”.
The Tamil scholars joined for a common cause to discuss ways to pass on
the legacy of the language and literature to the future generation as well as
try to enrich and conserve the cultural
heritage around the world.

Participants at the special conference of IMTC, in Denmark,
November 5 & 6, 2016 – Photo: Sam Vijay, France

10

www.monsoonjournal.com

By Steve Baragona
WASHINGTON — Scientists have
supercharged plant growth by making
them more responsive to changes in light
and shade. The researchers hope what
they have learned by souping up experimental plants will someday help feed a
hungry world.
Plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide
and water into food through a process
called photosynthesis.
“It is the driving force behind all of
life,” says University of Illinois plant
biologist Steve Long. “Arguably, photosynthesis is the most important process
on our planet.” But for a process that’s
so important, it’s surprisingly inefficient.
With food demand expected to grow
by 70 percent by mid-century on a planet that is rapidly warming, researchers
have been looking for ways to improve
photosynthesis as a way to squeeze more
productivity out of each plant.
“We’re kind of forced to push our crops
to the limit,” says crop scientist Matthew
Reynolds at the International Maize and
Wheat Improvement Center, known by
its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT.
Long’s group targeted a system that
protects plants from excessive sunlight.
When a plant is soaking up more light
than it can handle, it gets rid of the energy as heat. But when clouds or leaves
shade it, that system stays on for minutes or hours, slowing down the plant’s
growth.
Long and his colleagues added genes

that shortened that recovery time. Modified plants grew up to 20 percent more
than untreated ones.
The study appears in the journal Science.
“It’s a very big deal,” said Reynolds,
who was not involved with the research.
Conventional breeding programs are improving yields by about half a percent
per year, if that. “A 20 percent increase
-- that’s a fairly substantial jump.”
Other attempts to tinker with the
protective systems have hurt the plant,
according to Bob Furbank, director of the
Center for Translational Photosynthesis
Research. He’s more optimistic about
this one, since it makes the system more
responsive rather than turning it down.
However, he adds, “It may be that
these protective mechanisms are more
important under drought, and under
stress. These sorts of plants will have
to be tested under a range of stresses to
make sure there’s no downside.”
Long’s group used genetic engineering to modify their plants, which can be
controversial. But Reynolds, who focuses
on conventional plant breeding, says the
genetically modified plant can be “a proof
of concept so we can start looking for natural variation as well.”
Long’s group worked in tobacco because it’s easy to study. Next they plan
to apply the same technique to rice, soybeans and cassava, three critical food
crops around the world.
– VOA News

Limited
time lease
offers
available
Honda Financial
Services Inc.
qualiﬁCR-V
ed retail
customers
on approved
cred it. Weekly
payment
includes
freight and PDI
($1,595),
EHFBonus
tires & ﬁis
lters
($22), A/C charge
($100),customer
and OMVICincentive
fee ($10). Taxes,
license,
insurance and
are
‡3,000
Holiday
Bonus
applies
to through
retail customer
agreements
for(HFS),
newto2016
models
concluded
between
November
1st,
and November
30th,
2016.
comprised
of $1,500
which
is deducted
fromregistration
the negotiextra. Representative weekly lease example: 2016 Civic LX Sedan MT (Model FC2E5GE) on a 60 month term with 260 weekly payments at 3.99% lease APR. Weekly payment is $58.85 with $0 down or equivalent trade-in and $240 total lease incentive included. Down payments, $0 security
ated
priceand
after
be combined
advertised
lease
and fiisnance
rates);
pluskilometre
$1,500 allowance;
non-stackable
which
is deducted
from
the negotiated
price
taxes (available
Honda
except
customers
deposit
ﬁrsttaxes
weekly(can
payment
due at leasewith
inception.
Total lease
obligation
$15,301.46.
120,000
charge customer
of $0.12/km cash
for excess
kilometres.
PPSA lien
registration
fee of $45.93
and after
lien registering
agent’s fee for
of $5.65,
dueretail
at timecustomers
of delivery are
not included.
For all
offers: license , insurance, other taxes (including HST) and excess wear and tear are extra. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price. Offers only valid for Ontario residents at Ontario Honda Dealers. Dealer may lease for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Colour availability may
who
lease
or finance
HFS atarea subvented
of interest
offered
Honda
assubject
part oftoachange
low rate
interest
All advertised
lease
andHondaOntario.com
finance rates are
rates).
ForonallAssociation
offers: licence,
insurance,
PPSA,Manufacturers
other taxesof(includvary
by dealer.
Vehiclesthrough
and accessories
for illustrationrate
purposes
only. Offers,
pricesby
and
features
without
notice.program.
See your Ontario
Honda Dealer
or visit
for special
full details.
Based
of International
Automobile
Canada
(AIAMC)
data excess
reﬂecting
sales and
between
1997
and
December
2015.
§For on
more
information,
visit
Kelley Blueprice.
Book’s Off
KBB.com.
Kelley
Blue for
Book
is a registered
trademark
of Kelley Blue Book
Co., Inc.
*NoneDealers.
of the features
described
are intended
to less.
replace
the driver’s
responsibility
to exercise due
ingcare
HST)
and
wear
tear
are
extra.
Taxes
payable
full
amount
of
purchase
ers
only
valid
Ontario
residents
at
participating
Ontario
Honda
Dealer
may
lease/sell
for
Dealer
trade
may
be
necessary.
while driving. Drivers should not use handheld devices or operate certain vehicle features unless it is safe and legal to do so. Some features have technological limitations. For additional feature information, limitations and restrictions, please visit www.honda.ca/disclaimers or refer to
the vehicle’s
owner’smay
manual.
is a Vehicles
registered and
trademark
of SIG Inc.
and Apple CarPlay
are trademarks
Apple
Inc. Android
and Android
Autoto
arechange
trademarks
of Google
Inc. See your Ontario Honda Dealer or visit HondaOntario.com for full details.
Colour
availability
varyBluetooth
by dealer.
accessories
areApple
for illustration
purposes
only. Offofers,
prices
and features
subject
without
notice.

11th year in circulation

www.monsoonjournal.com

13

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays
&

Best Wishes for the New Year
Dr. Richard Jeyaranjan
Medicine Professional Corporation
MD, PhD, FRCPC - Internal Medicine
Specialist Practice in Cardiovascular & General
Internal Medicine

“ Three simple words that are brought to life every day at Providence”
~ Andrew Branion, Honorary Chair, 2016 Silver Ball for Providence Healthcare
rovidence Healthcare Foundation hosted the inaugural
P
Silver Ball in 1993, and we are so honoured that one of
Toronto’s most successful annual galas continues to inspire,

motivate, and affect change 23 years later.
Each and every one of our guests, sponsors, donors and other supporters truly embodies the spirit of ‘I Am Providence’
and we thank you for so generously supporting this year’s
Silver Ball, Presented by Scotiabank, and helping us raise $1
million for the courageous patients at Providence Healthcare.
All the support we received will help Providence create a better care experience for our patients.
Our premier sponsors, Scotiabank, Lexus On The Park,
Livewire Communications, BMO, CIBC, RBC, and Sun Life
Financial Canada, set the sponsorship pace this year, and it’s
our pleasure to thank these incredible companies for their
support.
Did you know that 100% of the proceeds from our sponsorships and ticket purchases returns to Providence? This
essential funding is helping Providence do more to support
its community, such as the transformation of our Palliative
Care program, which will have a significant and meaningful
impact on patients and their loved ones for decades to come.

nourishing harvest bowl. A
hearty chili. Or some comfort
food like mac and cheese. These
are just a few of the new dishes
made onsite with local ingredients
that are now available in the cafeteria at Scarborough and Rouge
Hospital’s (SRH) General site.
“Marek is excited to offer ‘Provincial Plate’ options in our weekly
menu,with meals featuring local
meats and produce cooked from
scratch in our kitchen,” says Gord
Shaw, Director of Retail Food Services at SRH for Marek Hospitality
Inc. Marek runs both the cafeteria
at SRH’s General site, as well as
the Tim Hortons locations at both
the General and Birchmount sites.
“Meals made from scratch are
simply better when the ingredients
used in entrees arrive fresh from

local suppliers, and we’re proud to
be able to work with Marek to deliver more of these delicious dishes
to cafeteria customers,” adds Tyler
Crocker, Director Facilities and
Environment at SRH.
The Provincial Plate menu program was rolled out across Canada
this fall among all of Marek’s retail
health care locations. Chicken and
beef comes from local butchers in
each province and produce from
local farmers. In addition, fish arrives fresh and not frozen.
Gord also notes that the chicken
served in the cafeteria at TSH is
Halal, which can be important for
customers within the diverse community of Scarborough. Provincial
Plate menu items will be identified
with a special logo on the weekly
menu posted in the cafeteria.

Minister Issues Final Order
for Hospital Integrations

O

n November 23, 2016, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care,
Dr. Eric Hoskins, issued a final integration order, stating that the
Birchmount and General campuses of The Scarborough Hospital (TSH)
and the Centenary campus of Rouge Valley Health System (RVHS) will
be operated by a single hospital corporation. The Ajax-Pickering campus
of RVHSwill become part of Lakeridge Health (LH).The order endorses
the decisions of all three hospital Boards in favour of the integrations
and follows the advice of the Central East Local Health Integration Network (Central East LHIN).
The decision paves the way for improved hospital infrastructure and
the planning of new acute care facilities in both communities. Scarborough and Durham patients will benefit fromintegrated health care systems that will provide timely, safe, and appropriate access to care.
“I am encouraged by the Minister’s decision to move forward to ensure
that the integration occurs in a timely manner,” said Andrée Robichaud,
President and CEO, RVHS. “This decision provides us with clarity, and
I am excited for the opportunity that lies ahead.”
“We must acknowledge Minister Hoskins’ bold leadership and his support in establishing these two new integrated hospital systems that will
be best positioned to serve their respective communities of Durham and
Scarborough,” said Robert Biron, President and CEO, TSH. “This direction is consistent with the recommendations of the Expert Panel and it
sets the stage for a promising future.”
“We are excited to be moving forward with integration and will be
partnering with Ajax-Pickering on December 1, as we develop a new
five-site regional acute care system,” said Matthew Anderson, President
and CEO, LH. “I know I speak for all the hospitals of Lakeridge Health
when I say we are excited to take the next steps in building a system
that reflects our commitment to caring for families all across Durham.”
The integration order was signed following extensive community engagement, and after receiving input and feedback from patients and
families, staff, physicians, and local leaders.

16

WHAT’S UP WHEEZIE
BROADCASTS JOY TO PATIENTS

I

t’s 8:30 a.m. on a warm, sunny morning
in late August and Registered Practical
Nurse Louise Principe is readying her red,
flashing LED light at the nursing station
on the CP1 Medicine unit at the General
site. It’s not the sort of device you’d expect
to see in a hospital, but for the staff and
patients on CP1, Louise’s red light signals
the start of a very special part of their day
– the What’s Up Wheezie message.
Over the last two months, Louise (a.k.a.
Wheezie) has been delivering a brief news,
sports, and weather report over the P.A.
system on CP1.
“A lot of our patients on CP1 have longer
stays and I thought this would be a great
way to add something different to their
day,” said Louise.
Louise produces a What’s Up Wheezie
report for each shift she’s working. She
searches out interesting, lighthearted
news items, and – with the help of her
husband – includes the top sports stories.
Her broadcast always ends with a song
that corresponds to one of the news items.
“For instance, one day I had a story on
bees, so I played “Let it Be” by the Bea-

tles,” explains Louise. “Another day, there
was a story on tigers so I played “Eye of
the Tiger” by Survivor. And on Father’s
Day, I played the duet “Unforgettable” by
Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole.”
Louise – who has worked at TSH for 35
years and on CP1 for the last 17 – comes in
early before the start of her shift to put the
finishing touches on her message.
“It’s such a bright, cheery message,”
said CP1 patient Diane Ellis. “There are
cute stories and music from when I was
growing up.”
“I love it,” added patient Bob Morgan. “I
can’t wait for it every morning she’s here.”
Although she’s retiring in February
2017, Louise is considering coming in as
a volunteer to continue her What’s Up
Wheezie messages.
“I’ve always loved geriatrics and I’ve
learned so much from the people I’ve cared
for over the years,” said Louise. “They’ve
taught me everything from gardening to
how to take care of my car. What’s Up
Wheezie is a small way I can give back
and provide our patients a positive start
to their day.”

World Preemie Day celebrated at
Scarborough and Rouge Hospital

T

Mom Prem enjoys World Preemie Day
celebrations at the Centenary site of
SRH with her daughters Hannah and
Harsha.

www.monsoonjournal.com

he Centenary site of Scarborough and
Rouge Hospital (SRH) celebrated premature babies who were born or cared for at the
site during their World Prematurity (Preemie) Day celebration on Sunday, November
13.
World Preemie Day is celebrated annually
on November 17. It is a globally-renowned educational event that raises awareness about
premature births, while also enhancing and
celebrating the lives of “preemies” and their
families. Approximately one in 10 babies are
born preterm each year worldwide.
Children who were once cared for at the
Centenary neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU) and the special care nursery at Ajax
and Pickering were invited, along with their
families, to celebrate the day. This event
gives families, who in some cases spent
weeks together in the NICU or special care
nursery area, the opportunity to share experiences, see how well each other’s babies
are doing, and show appreciation for all who
helped them.

11th year in circulation

A parfait media publication

Monsoon Journal

DECEMBER 2016

World News

U of T awards social work research grant to SRH
S

carborough
and
Rouge Hospital (SRH)
recently announced its
Mental Health department has received a
$15,000 research grant
from the University of Toronto (U of T). The Mental Health department at
SRH’s Birchmount site
will provide practicum
opportunities for firstand second-year Master
of Social Work (MSW)
students over three years,
as well as engage in a research project. U of T’s
Factor-Inwentash
Faculty of Social Work will
designate $5,000 from the
Bertha Rosenstadt Fund
for Health Research to
the Mental Health department at SRH’s Birchmount site for each year
of the grant.
This project will contribute to the growing
body of knowledge and
literature on the effective
use of technology in social
work education and practice.Studies indicate that
evidence-based
online
psychotherapy is as effective, if not more effective,
than evidence-based, inperson
psychotherapy.
However, as some clinicians may have a deeper
familiarity with the benefits of in-person psychotherapy, they may not
understand the benefits
of technology in practice.
“Social work students
may enter their practicum with a similar perspective, as they have
had limited exposure
to this therapeutic approach. The research will
explore whether, as these
students become more familiar with the benefits
of online therapy, they
will feel more inclined towards online psychotherapy as an effective model
of social work intervention,” said Faiza KhalidKhan, Patient Care Director, Mental Health,
SRH’s Birchmount and
General sites. “On behalf of Scarborough and
Rouge Hospital and social
work staff and clinicians
from our Mental Health department, I extend my
sincere thanks and appreciation to the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University
of Toronto for enabling this important research.”
During their practicum at SRH, students will
deliver evidence-based psychotherapyservices to
patients in the Adult Outpatient program, as well
as complete assessments on the inpatient unit
and with the crisis team.Students will use technology to observe and participate in e-therapy,
learn about e-therapy clinical platforms, and participate in data collection and analysis. SRH will
gather data to determine students’ perceptions of
online psychotherapy pre- and post-practicum.

11th year in circulation

“It is evident that the social work team is making significant contributions to the research and
education objectives at the hospital all in the
service of ensuring exemplary patient care,” said
Faye Mishna, Dean, Factor-Inwentash Faculty
of Social Work, U of T. “As future professionals,
University of Toronto Master of Social Work students who are fulfilling their practicum at Scarborough and Rouge Hospital benefit from this
commitment to education. We are honoured to
continue our partnership with Scarborough and
Rouge Hospital, and delighted that the hospital is
a recipient of the Bertha Rosenstadt Trust Fund.”
The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
will also appoint SRH social work staff members

www.monsoonjournal.com

who commit to practicum teaching with U of T
MSW students for a three-year period as Adjunct
Lecturers for that time period. Other social work
staff members engaged in teaching will be designated as field instructors.
SRHis a leader in e-therapy work, offering Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy,
a first-in-Canada project in a community hospital. SRH’s e-therapy research results have been
presented at major conferences, including the
American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Conference (2015).For more information, please visit
http://www.tsh.to/areas-of-care/mentalhealth/adult-outpatient-program/.

17

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

Short Story

World News

THE PROMISE

C. Kamalaharan
It was in their respective backyards their love
affair began while she was plucking flowers for
adorning the pictures in the shrine room and he
was watering the plants in his home garden as
part of their daily chores. Both the backyards were
partitioned by a parapet wall a little below five feet
that provided an opportunity for them to glance at
each other without straining their necks. Ranjith
the teacher lived in front in his ancestral home
with his grandma having lost his parents early
in life. He was also unfortunate to be without any
siblings. Rathi the only daughter who lived behind
with her parents in a rented house was deprived
of pursuing her studies beyond the A/L as she was
groomed to be a good housewife, a familiar set up
those days in most orthodox families.
Their love affair began with the exchange of
smiles which gradually led to the exchange of
greetings. Both being fair and attractive a strong
desire triggered between them to communicate with
each other. Ranjith took the initiative, showed her
a letter placed it on the wall and kept a stone on it
to serve as a paper weight. Finding nobody around
the place he gestured her to collect it. Brought up
in a conservative set up Rathi was flabbergasted at
Ranjith’s sudden advances. Not knowing what to
do she hurriedly left the place and dashed into her
house. “Have I hurt her” Ranjith trembled. “Under
the control of a strict father she might have been
scared to indulge in such clandestine activities,”
thought he. At 10.00 p.m he found the letter still
lying there. “It’s my fault to have mistaken her
friendly gesture when she smiled and exchanged
formalities.” mused he. He decided to get up early
the next morning and remove the letter before the
father notices it. He was restless the whole night
thinking about what was in store for him. He
hadn’t a wink of sleep the whole night.
The following morning on hearing the pealing of
the Murugan temple bell, the time piece of the area
he tiptoed to the wall and found the letter missing.
He was thrilled but it was short lived as he was not
sure as to who took the letter. “Might be her father!
or might be Rathi and if she had taken it she might
have simply dumped it in the garbage bin or she
might have even handed it to her father!” For two
days there wasn’t any sign of a reply from her or
her presence in the backyard. He was restless
fearing what the consequences would be. On the
third day he was delighted to see a letter on the
wall pinned under a stone. Again his mind began
to vacillate between hope and despair, whether the
reply would be positive or negative. He took the
letter inside the house and was elated to read the
first sentence. “Me too in love with you. But let this
be an understanding between us for the time being
as we have a long way to go, a risky way. My father
is a very strict person; we have to be careful in our
dealings with each other.” But as days passed a
strong desire to meet and talk blossomed within
them. They were not able to restrain themselves.
And so one evening at sunset Ranjith once again
took the initiative, placed a letter on the wall
and gestured her to collect it. She immediately
scurried to the wall took the letter tucked it in
her waist entered the house and read. “Meet me
tonight around 10.30 p.m in your backyard near
the wall when the outdoor lights are switched off.”
As expected both stealthily came out and took up
positions opposite to each other on either side of
the wall. Both were so excited that they began to
blabber, mostly Rathi. To set things on the right
track Ranjith began cautiously, “Are you truly in
love with me?” Unexpected such a direct question
from him she fumbled for a while unable to answer.
“It doesn’t matter you just tell me,” again he asked.
Quite hesitatingly she replied, “Yes I love you.”
Next he asked her the point-blank question, “If
that is so will you marry me?” After thinking for a
while she answered in the affirmative “Yes”. “You
won’t go back on your words?” “No, not at all.” Then

18

a.wattpad.com

she asked him, “How about you?” “If at all I marry
I will marry you only and not anyone else, take this
as my promise,” he assured her. After the mutual
agreement they met only once a week for fear of
being noticed.
A few weeks later Ranjith’s sudden absence in
the backyard tormented Rathi. The outdoor lights
too were not switched on after sunset. Only the
light in Ranjith;s room shimmering through the
crevices of the doors and windows was seen. “He
must be there but why is he avoiding me?” thought
she. Days weeks and months passed he was not to
be seen in the backyard. Ranjith too was restless
without meeting her. Something prevented him
from going to the backyard. “What’s it?”
“What’s the reason for you to avoid her?” asked
Kumar his neighbour and friend. “Please don’t
ask me anything.” “Any problem?” “For goodness
sake leave me alone. I am undergoing the worst
mental agony anyone can think of.” Rathi knowing
that Kumar was a close friend of Ranjith sought
Kumar’s help to find out the reason for Ranjith’s
indifference towards her. However much Kumar
tried he couldn’t extract anything from Ranjith. In
desperation Rathi wrote a lengthy emotional letter
reminding him of the promise he had made and
requested him to give the reason for avoiding her.
She placed the letter on the wall hoping that he
would collect it. For a couple of days it remained
there unremoved. She even posted a letter to his
home address but there wasn’t any response from
him. Unable to contact Ranjith she began to hate
him. “What happened to the promise he gave me,
all gone with the wind.” she lamented. To add
insult to injury her father got a transfer to another
town in the same district.
“Ranjith! They are vacating the house and
moving to a new residence shortly,” said Kumar.
Ranjith looked dismayed and remained silent.
“She is leaving thoroughly disappointed Ranjith!”
said Kumar. Ranjith continued to remain silent. It
was on a Sunday they left the place. As she left in
her father’s car she glanced at Ranjith’s house to
find out whether he was watching. With all hopes
crushed and shattered she left bemoaning.
“Ranjith, now that she has left tell me the
reason, please. Ranjith held Kumar’s hand and
wept unabashedly “You don’t know my side of
the story Kumar. Its terrible mental torture I am
experiencing. Not that I hate Rathi or have any
ill feeling towards her. I was forced into such a
tight situation.” “Now tell me what it’s all about?”
How can I break the promise and divulge all what
happened.” “Promise! to whom?” “First you promise
that you won’t reveal this to anybody particularly
to Rathi.” “Sure Ranjith I won’t reveal to anybody.”
“O.K I trust you Kumar.”
One night after the outdoor lights were switched
off I was at the backyard near the wall as usual
expecting Rathi’s arrival. But she didn’t turn
up. I waited and waited. Just then I heard a low
whispering voice, “Son, please give up the affair.” I

www.monsoonjournal.com

looked over the wall and was shocked to see Rathi’s
mother standing. She continued, “There is no way
for both of you to get married. She being our only
child having enough property and cash in her name
her father is making arrangements to find a suitable
alliance holding a top position probably a doctor or
an engineer. If he comes to know about this he will
not hesitate to take drastic action against both of
you as he is a hot tempered person. I pray please
give up the affair. Please Thamby, I consider you
as my son.” Having lost his mother when he was
an infant the way she addressed him “My Son”
stunned Ranjith. He thought for a while realized
the genuineness of her stand and particularly the
way she addressed him, a motherless person as “My
Son.” Her earnest pleading stirred his conscience.
He thought for awhile and said, “O.K Amma I ‘ll
give up the affair from this moment”. “Son, promise
me that you will stop all dealings you have with her
and also that you will not reveal this to anybody
particularly to Rathi.” “Yes Amma I will do as you
say.” “ Son you will do well in life, May God bless
you,” saying so she left.
“Now tell me Kumar what am I to do being caught
in such a irrevocable situation? Is it my fault?” “No
not at all, I am so sorry, what a terrible situation
you are in! The stand you took when Rathi’s
mother told you about the quandary she was in
and addressed you as “My Son” is really great. You
have completely snapped the strong bondage you
had with Rathi and have become the most hatred
person in her life. She will never forgive you for
the rebuff you gave her,” saying so he left. Ranjith
felt relieved after vomiting everything he had in
his heart.
Several years passed when one bright Sunday
morning Ranjith was at the Murugan temple
to witness the car festival. There was a huge
gathering of devotees. While circumambulating the
outer corridor of the temple he was in for a rude
shock. His heart sank on seeing Rathi with her kids
aged 5 and 3 approaching in the opposite direction.
He hadn’t time to move away. As they came close
face to face she in a fit of rage immediately turned
her head and briskly went away dragging her kids.
Completely devastated Ranjith took a few steps
forward to face another shock. Rathi’s mother
was limping with the support of a walking stick
trailing far behing her daughter. As she came
closer Ranjith stooped down and began, “ How are
you Amma?” “Oh son! how are you?” “Fine Amma.”
“Where are your wife and kids?” “I am still a
bachelor.” “Why Son!” “Because of the promise.”
“The promise! you have kept the promise you gave
me by severing all connections with my daughter,
that’s all over. “Not that promise I gave you but
the other promise.” “The other promise! What’s
it?” “The promise I gave to your daughter that I
will never marry anyone other than you,” saying so
he moved on with tears trickling down his cheeks.
Rathi’s mother stood thunderstruck for a moment
and staggered along……..

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Special Feature

The First Generation
By: Andrea Shanmugarajah
The Tamil community in Toronto
is undoubtedly an interesting one – as
part of a growing global diaspora that
was driven out of Sri Lanka largely
because of a long-standing civil war,
Tamil people have managed remarkably to preserve our culture, even on
the opposite side of the world. Tamils
have been lucky in that this is a city
that tailors itself towards welcoming
all cultures with open arms, but even
then, it has required a substantial
amount of resilience and determination to build a life here and make it
into a home. But why were Tamil people who immigrated here so willing to
endure the challenges involved in succeeding as an immigrant? Many Tamil
people moved here, to a country with
a language they could not speak, were
forced to take jobs that they were significantly over-qualified for, and had to
drag themselves from the ground up to
earn the same place in society they once
held. But why leave one’s own mother
country for something entirely foreign,
and more importantly, what can we,
as children of immigrants, learn from
the fortitude the Canadian Tamil community has demonstrated over the last
number of years.
I remember even as a young child,
hearing of the numerous sacrifices
Tamil people have had to make to
make a life for themselves and their
families here in Canada. I can recall
hearing people being described by their
former position in Sri Lanka, hearing
about people who once held great jobs
and high stations, who now worked
in labour jobs or for minimum wage. I
heard also about people who had their
rights to a higher education stripped
from them – a lifelong dream crumbling, not because they weren’t smart
enough, but because of policy outside
of their control. But remarkably, as I
met people who lived through these
situations over the years, I did not find
the bitterness and the anger that I was
expecting. Even at the time, I found it
hard to wrap my mind around the idea
that people who had been forced to give
up everything because of external forces could be not just content, but actually happy, with their new lives in Canada. In fact, as time has passed, I have
only found myself more taken aback by
the attitudes of Tamil immigrants. I reflect on everything that I have strived
for, and the life I have worked so hard
trying to provide myself, and I simply
cannot imagine how I would react if
I had to give it up. I suspect that the
injustice of it would overwhelm me,

11th year in circulation

Giving back to the community: Food Drive by Senior Tamils’ Centre of
Ontario - October 2016 (pic via: facebook.com/SeniorTamilsCentreofOntario)
and even as I tried to start again from
scratch, my mind would always return
to the life I could have had, had things
gone to plan. So, I wondered, what allowed the Tamil community to find joy
again even after all their hardships,
and avoid being consumed by the life
they could have, and should have, had?
I have described Tamil immigrants
in Canada as resilient, and this word is
undoubtedly fitting. But it fits not just
because the community has managed
to transport its culture, values and traditions across the world. Tamils have
shown resiliency in their ability to not
take for granted the opportunities they
are presented with, regardless of how
small. They have shown resilience also,
in their willingness to work below their
own station so that their kids can one
day live comfortably, in a country that
accepts the success and the determination of all, regardless of skin colour
or ethnicity. Tamil people sacrificed
everything they had and everything
they worked forto give their children
a better shot at life – a shot that was
more secure and stable, because Tamils learned early on, as they lost everything, that their wealth was not in
their belongings, but in their children.
But most of all, in having done all of the
above, yet still continuing to find pleasure and contentment from the small
joys in life, have Tamil immigrants in
Canada shown true resilience.
As someone born and raised in Canada, I know that I have many blessings
to count – English is my first language,

I have gone to school here since preschool, andI have been immersed in
Canadian culture for my entire life.
However, I count myself even luckier
to have been raised as a child of Tamil
immigrants. The lessons this community has taught me go deeper than just
learning to drape a saree or make the
perfect curry, and they are so deeply ingrained in me that I am confident that
the path my life takes will be heavily
influenced by where I, and my parents,
came from. The warmth I have received
from the Tamil community is unparalleled, and through my interactions
over the years, I have learned to bring
kindness and compassion to everything
I do, regardless of how my own life is
progressing. I have learned also to remain resilient even the face of challenge –being surrounded and raised by
people who had to abruptly leave their
country and make a life for themselves
on the other side of the world, it would
be impossible not to believe that anything is possible. The Tamil community
has taught me that there is no sacrifice
not worth making for the people you
love – even the most arduous of hardships can be endured if it means helping your loved ones thrive. And finally,
through this community I have learned
the importance of always counting your
blessings, regardless of how sparse
they may seem. Tamil people have so
much to lament–they were forced to
leave their home country after years
of injustices, come to Canada, and find
any work they could, just to make ends

meet. Despite this, the Tamil people I
know have been perpetually optimistic, not absorbed by their misfortunes,
but focused instead on their gratitude
for what they do have and how much
worse their situation could have been. I
keep this attitude in mind as I embark
on my own challenges and struggles,
knowing that if my parents and their
peers could have gone through what
they did and still emerge with smiles
on their faces, then I have no reason to
ever consider myself as anything but
lucky.
Andrea Shanmugarajah
Andrea Shanmugarajah is a student
at McMaster University, where she is
currently studying
Medicine.
She is involved
with the senior
community
in
Toronto, which
she became interested in due
to her own personal experiences with her grandmother. She hopes to eventually pursue a career in geriatrics, whereby she can help
and advocate for the elderly on a daily
basis.
Andrea hopes to educate others about
the struggles that many elderly people
may face in Toronto, and how people of
all ages can work towards making the
community a more accepting and compassionate place for seniors.

www.monsoonjournal.com

19

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

Special Feature
WORDS OF PEACE

Court Clarity
“Peace is within you,” says Prem
Rawat, who has been traveling the
world for most of his life to deliver a
message of peace, hope and understanding. “What you are looking for
is within inside of you.”
It’s a message that many who
have been called saints or seers
have brought to the people of their
time, but one that is always fresh.
Why? Because, Mr. Rawat says, it’s
a message for living people - and that
points to something so simple that
it’s easy to overlook its profundity.
“It always comes down to that one
thing that is the most important,”
he says. “You are alive. You exist.
So what does that mean?” It means,
Mr. Rawat explains, that reality has
nothing to do with what family you
were born into or how many academic
degrees you hold––nor is your reality
the cells that make up your body, because none of these things are what’s
keeping you alive.
“My reality is that which is puls-

20

ing inside of me,” he says. “This divinity that touches every single human being has touched me, too––and
I am alive. The nature of that divinity is peace. The purer I become––in
my sight, in my hearing, in my taking in––then the more I can enjoy
that. This is what clarity is.”
The clearer we can be, Mr. Rawat
says, the more wonderful our lives
will be. If life is a journey, then no
matter what happens, that journey
can be enjoyable, rich and rewarding.
However, he points out, “The more
muddled we are, the worse it’s going
to be. Life become a struggle for us
when it shouldn’t be a struggle.
“Every single day, we need to accept the challenge of life itself––to
choose beauty, to court clarity every
step of the way, because if we don’t
have clarity, we will choose the wrong
thing. So we have to begin with that.”
Courting clarity isn’t as difficult
as it sounds, Mr. Rawat says. “It’s
actually relatively easy. There are

www.monsoonjournal.com

two ways to light a path. One is to
get thousands of light bulbs and put
them along each side of that path. Or
there’s another way: Carry a light in
your hand.
“People want to light the thousand
bulbs. I say, “No, all you need to do is
carry the lamp. Lighting a thousand
bulbs is complicated. One flashlight
in your hand is not. The result is the
same: It will light your path.”
In the same way, he says, finding
the peace that people everywhere
yearn for doesn’t have to be difficult.
“Peace in this world,” he says,
“begins with peace in every human
being. It’s not about the world. It’s
about you. This world has been there
for a very long time. It’s going to be
there for billions of years yet to come.
This is your time, now. This is your
moment, now. What do you want it to
be? Something sweet? Peace, joy? Or
some wallowing and fluttering of unbelievable ideas, causing confusion
after confusion after confusion?

“If it’s peace that you want, peace
is there to be discovered. Do you
want joy? Joy is there to be discovered. Discovered, not manufactured.
The joy that you manufacture, the
peace that you manufacture, you will
be disappointed with.
“Get some clarity, and enjoy being here. There is no such thing as
too much clarity. Get some clarity,
and wherever you go, continue to enjoy this life. It’s not about how many
days you have. It’s about every day––
that you are full every day, that you
feel that feeling in your life every day.
“Appreciate being alive, being
aware of this life, being aware of that
divinity within inside, being aware of
that peace that resides within every
single human being on the face of the
Earth.”
To learn more about Prem Rawat
1 877 707 3221 Toll Free
416 431 5000 Tamil
416 264 7700 Hindi
www.wopg.org | www.tprf.org

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Special Feature

The level is not all that matters

By: Janani Srikantha
Recently, report cards went home.
Subsequently, there were many children asking about their level. After
finding out their level, there were no
follow-up questions. However, there
were some statements such as “Oh, I’m
a bad student.” and “I can’t read.” This
is heartbreaking because neither one of
these is true.
We have gotten to a point where
even our children are very focussed on
the numbers that are on report cards.
We forget to give importance to the
comments or ask questions in order to
reflect on progress.
There has been extensive discussion
among teachers as to whether levels
should be included in report cards, as
levels are increasingly being used to
label children. Levels were never intended for this purpose, but instead
they are a tool for teachers. Teachers use levels to understand whether
a child is above or below grade level.
The various components of a reading
assessment, for example, are analyzed
to understand whether the next steps
for improvement lie within fluency,
summarizing, inferencing, and so on.

11th year in circulation

The level is part of a teacher’s data collection, and it is not the only piece of
information that informs of a child’s
progress.
We, as parents and teachers, need
to remind students that they are not
defined by their level. Students’ selfesteem and their love for school should
not be affected by their report cards.
Instead, the report card should be used
to reflect upon what was achieved over
the term, what the next steps are, and
to outline an action plan for success.
This allows students to see themselves
as individuals and that their achievements are not compared to others. Students don’t feel like they are a “bad”
student, but instead they learn to understand their strengths and having
strategies to scaffold their areas for
growth.
Another question that is often asked
after report cards is related to reading.
I am asked by students whether they
should only read books at their level.
When I reflect on my own reading practices, I read books at all levels in many
different genres. With my students, I
encourage them to explore their libraries and book stores. When we choose
books together, we talk about what

their interests are, review the books
they have read, and investigate what
genres they would like to explore. I
suggest titles of books, and in return
they let me know of books they have
enjoyed. (Some of my favourite books
are ones that have been suggested to
me by students.) When guiding a student to read, I, sometimes, let students
read a book at a lower reading level.
In fact, picture books are prominent
fixtures in my classroom, regardless of
the age of the students. We need to get
to a point where children want to read.
They need to pick up a book every day
without being forced to. The only way
to foster this is to encourage students
to read books that interest them and
stories they can engage with. While
reading together, encourage students
to critically think about the book. Once
a student develops a habit of reading,
they will automatically begin to choose
books closer to their reading level, because their development of critical
thinking will steer them towards texts
with more in-depth plots.
The levels on a report card, including reading levels, should not define
who a student is. Those levels are
just markers and tools to be used to

plan the next steps. Instead, it is essential to focus on what a student has
done well, and how we can facilitate
their next steps towards success. In
my opinion, there is no such thing as a
“bad” student. There are students who
need support to nurture their interests
and guidance to find strategies to succeed.
Janani Srikantha is a certified
teacher who is
experienced with
the Ontario curriculum and the
International
Baccalaureate.
She provides academic support using personalized
learning
plans
based on students’
needs. She is currently completing
her graduate studies to further understand how the integration to technology
is redefining how a student learns. The
education landscape is changing, and
she helps parents and families to engage
their child in learning. Janani has led
workshops for educators and parents on
topics that address different facets of education. For more information or queries
on how to help your child with learning,
please email info@thinkshiftedu.com or
visit Thinkshift Edu on Facebook.

www.monsoonjournal.com

21

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

Special Feature

SADHGURU

Washing off the
Memories of the Body
Sadhguru Vasudev is a realized master,
yogi and mystic, who has founded
Isha Foundation, an international public service organization that strives for
ultimate human well-being. For worldwide program information,
visit www.ishafoundation.org

Sadhguru elaborates on how the body acquires memory and what
are the ways to cleanse the system of the past impressions.
The body has its own memory. Today, there is research happening in
this direction. To put it in a simplified
way, let us say for example, your father, when he was a child, liked to play
with round objects, round pebbles, and
things like that, and he developed a
certain level of involvement with them.
As his child, without knowing why, you
will tend to choose similar things. It is
proven that these repetitions happen.
This is simply because you carry a certain genetic material. Runanubandha
is the physical memory that you carry
within you. This memory can be acquired due to blood relationships or
sexual relationships. The body remembers any kind of intimacy – not only
with another physical body, but with
any physical substance.
There are certain festivals in India

22

like Pongal or Bhogi that are about
clearing up your mental baggage, your
emotional baggage, and your runanubandha. We are doing Klesha Nashana
Kriya. You could consider it as a ritual
fire wash, which you can make use of if
a regular shower is not sufficient to get
you clean. Klesha Nashana Kriya is a
way of burning physical memories that
you have picked up – not necessarily
because of relationships. Just by coming in touch with people, situations,
atmospheres, so many things, the body
picks up memory.
There is fire wash, and of course,
water wash every day. At the time in
my life when I was into a lot of sadhana, I would have somewhere between
five and seven showers a day, because
your system becomes so sensitive. For
example, you sit on a particular cush-

www.monsoonjournal.com

ion, and you are conscious what this
cushion is doing to you, so you want
to wash it off by at least letting water
run over your body. I did not calculate
that I must take a shower five or seven
times a day – whenever I felt like it.
Most yogis have bath at least twice a
day, at the minimum. Usually, it is a
dip in the river – you dip in flowing water so that you are washed clean.
During certain seasons, like the
shift of the Sun from the southern hemisphere to northern hemisphere, and
again, from north to south, the winds
are strong on the Indian subcontinent.
One simple process is to go and stand
in the wind so that you get a proper air
wash. It will do wonders to you. Try
this – when there is a strong breeze,
just wear something loose and simply
stand there for half an hour, with your

eyes closed, being conscious of it. Turn
both ways, so that the breeze flows over
you from front and back. You will feel
so much lighter and better.
In the ashram, all the brahmacharis wash their clothes separately. This
is because all of them are doing sadhana and everyone has their own specific
characteristic – we do not want it all
mixed up. Another way to prevent a
mix-up is to coat the clothes with soil
in every wash. Sadhus and sanyasis always use finely sieved red earth to dye
their clothes. The clothes are originally
white, but because they are constantly
washed with filtered earth, they turn
mud color.
Similarly, the buildings in the ashram are painted with soil and a certain
adhesive for it to stick like paint. Those
who are doing intense sadhana must
either wash separately, or coat your
clothes with some soil material every
time you wash them, so that the only
runanubandha that you have is with
the earth – not with people or things
around you. Apart from that, if you
wear clothes that are dipped in red
earth, in some way, it is a reminder for
the body as to where it comes from and
where it will go. Another way of doing
it is to have a mud bath - the idea of a
mud bath is to clear everything.
Sadhguru’s new book, INNER ENGINEERING: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy
was recently released on September
20th. In this, Sadhguru presents a sophisticated guide to self-empowerment
based on the teaching and principles of
classical yoga. This system is a means
to create a framework of inner stability, helping those who practice become
architects of a joyful life.
To learn more about Sadhguru’s
Tour visit meetSadhguru.org and to
learn more about the book visit InnerEngineering.com/book.
Email: toronto@ishafoundation.org
Local contact: 416 300 3010

11th year in circulation

DECEMBER 2016

24

Monsoon Journal

www.monsoonjournal.com

A Parfait Media publication

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Every Life Insurance is not just a Policy,
but a Life Saver for the Family
ARE YOU INTERESTED
IN BECOMING A
FINANCIAL ADVISOR?

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CLIMATE AND WEATHER:
Weather information is obtained by
observing atmospheric variables, such
as, air temperature, relative humidity,
wind speed and direction, solar radiation, atmospheric pressure and precipitation (rain and snow), at a particular
time and place. Climate in comparison
is the synthesis of weather observations over a long time period to produce
a statistical description of conditions
covering a large area.
THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING:
Weather monitoring over a long period of time point to definite permanent
changes in the climate. As a matter of
fact people have started questioning
the usefulness of the term climate.
This is especially true in the temperate region where recent unpredictable
weather patterns are incongruent with
the typically defined four seasons usually experienced. The alarming fact is
the change is accelerating in recent
times and unless contained humanity will face adverse consequences.
Climate change is defined in various
ways: simply any long-term significant
change in the weather patterns of an
area. Fluctuations over periods less
than a few decades are not considered
as climate change.
CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE:
Climate change can be natural or
caused by changes people have made
to the land or atmosphere. Specific
human activities have been identified as significant causes of recent
climate change, often referred to as
global warming. Human beings release carbon into the atmosphere as
carbon dioxide through activities such
as burning fossil fuels, deforestation,
and intensive agriculture. Carbon dioxide is the main contributor to climate
change because of its impact on increasing the atmospheric temperature.
Since the Industrial Revolution began
around 1750, human activities have
contributed to climate change by adding CO2, chlorofluorocarbons and other
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Today’s atmosphere contains 42 per
cent more carbon dioxide than it did before the industrial era. The increase in
the amount of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere enhances the greenhouse
effect which is creating global warming and consequently climate change.
Global warming has already begun.
Since 1900, the global average temperature has risen by 0.7 °C, and the
northern hemisphere is substantially
warmer than at any point during the
past 1,000 years.

11th year in circulation

CLIMATE CHANGE DISBELIVERS:
Despite the international scientific
community’s consensus on climate
change, a small number of climate
change DISBELIEVERS continue to
deny that climate change exists or that
humans are causing it. Deniers are of
the view it is just a state of flux and
not a permanent phenomenon! Deniers
claim that scientific evidence on climate change is virtually non-existent
and it is not a problem. However, these
individuals are generally not climate
scientists, and their arguments have
been discredited by the scientific community at large. The debate is over
about whether or not climate change is
real. It is now time to act to solve or
mitigate the problem!
TEN INDICATORS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE AND THE IMPACTS:
The trend scientists have seen over
the past 50 years is unmistakable.
i) Air temperatures over land are
increasing: Globally, average surface temperatures increased 0.6-0.9
°C between 1906 and 2005. However,
the disturbing issue is that the rise is
nearly twice as fast in the last 50 years
alone. It’s clear the frequency and severity of droughts and heat waves are
increasing leading to intense droughts,
destructive wildfires, failed crops, and
low water supplies.
ii) Air temperatures over oceans
are increasing: Nearly 70 percent of
the world is covered by oceans. Oceans
evaporate more water as the air right
near the surface gets warmer. The impact - more floods, more hurricanes,
and more extreme precipitation events.
iii) Arctic sea ice is decreasing: Satellite images show that the area covered by sea ice in the Arctic is shrinking, and it continued a downward trend
for the past 30 years.
iv) Glaciers are melting: The disappearance of glaciers is one of the clearest signs of climate change. The people
who depend on melting ice for water to
support their farming and living needs

are deeply affected.
v) Sea levels are rising: Sea levels
have been rising for the past century.
The pace is only increasing in recent
years as glaciers melt faster and water
temperatures increase, causing oceans
to expand. You can imagine how this
would affect those living in a highly
populated coastal area. Consider how
many millions of people are at risk as
sea levels rise, storms intensify, and
more extreme flooding occurs. Additionally, marine life is threatened as
salt water intrudes into fresh water
aquifers, many of which support human communities and natural ecosystems.
vi) Humidity is increasing: More
humidity means more water vapor
is in the air, making it feel stickier
in hot weather. Water vapor itself is
an important part of the water cycle,
and it contributes to the earth’s natural greenhouse effect. Air conditioners
have to work much harder, that means
more energy use, which can in turn
contribute to more climate change.
vii) Ocean heat content is increasing: The ocean stores and releases heat
over long periods of time. This is a
natural and important part of stabilizing the climate system. But short-term
unusual warming of surface waters has
become more common resulting in increased heat content leading to higher
sea levels, melting glaciers and stress
to marine ecosystems.
viii) Sea surface temperature is increasing: Observations show that water temperatures at the ocean’s surface
are going up. To some extent, this is a
normal pattern however, as the ocean’s
surface temperature continues to increase over time, more and more heat
is released into the atmosphere. This
additional heat can lead to stronger
and more frequent storms like tropical
cyclones and hurricanes.
ix) Snow is decreasing: Satellite
imageries show areas covered by snow
in the Northern Hemisphere are becoming smaller. Snow is important as
it helps control how much of the sun’s
energy earth absorbs. The snow and

ice loss is replaced by land and ocean
which absorbs more solar energy contributing to global warming.
x) Earth’s lower atmosphere temperature is increasing: The troposphere
is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, starting at earth’s surface and
goes up to a height of 23,000 to 65,000
feet above sea level. Observations show
that this lowest layer of the atmosphere
is warming as greenhouse gases build
up and trap heat that radiates from the
earth’s surface. Scientists tell us that
human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, caused this increase
in atmospheric temperatures.

2015 UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN
PARIS:
A global agreement on the reduction of climate change was reached by
consensus of the representatives of 196
countries attending the Paris Conference in December 2015. The agreement
sets a goal of limiting global warming
to less than 2 °C compared to pre-industrial levels. The agreement also
calls for zero net human-induced greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century.
The agreement will enter into force
when ratified by at least 55 countries
which together represent at least 55
percent of global greenhouse emissions.
174 countries signed the agreement in
New York, on the Earth day in 2016, of
which 24 countries including USA and
China, that together contribute to 40%
global green gas emission, have ratified
it as at August 2016.
THE CHALLENGE IS IMMENSE:
It’s up to each and everyone one of
us to do our part and help spread truthful information about climate change
to our networks of friends, peers, and
family members and ensure that our
actions do not contribute to accelerating climate change. Carpooling, using
public transit and cycling are considered effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Can we succeed in meeting the goal of zero net human-induced
greenhouse gas emission by 2050?
More than 50 percent of the world’s energy currently comes from oil and natural gas. A technology breakthrough
is needed to enhance the contribution
of renewable energy to independently
provide enough affordable and reliable
energy to meet the needs of the developed world while also raising the living
standards of developing countries. USA
& China as the first two large nations
to formally accept the Paris Agreement, have set a model for other countries – both developed and developing
– around the world to follow.

www.monsoonjournal.com

27

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

World News

Why Americans chose Trump
as their next President
An Analysis
By: Raymond Rajabalan
t was a day like no other. Nov 08th, the day of the
Ievening,
US presidential elections had finally arrived. By
the polls were closed and a tensed politi-

cal drama was about to begin. Millions across the
world were glued to their TV sets anxiously waiting for the results of this highly contested election
with lots of uncertainty about the outcome. In fact
this US Presidential election was being watched
with great interest by so many
including many influential world
leaders. Meanwhile for the ardent
supporters of the two rival candidates - Hillary Clinton, the once
powerful former US Secretary of
State as well as the former First
lady and Billionaire Businessman
Donald Trump - it was a great nail
biter. Even the veteran TV commentators and political analysts
were nervously fumbling around
with variety of adjectives to describe the outcome. The world
media was on the edge preparing
alternate articles bracing for any
eventuality. In fact, the prestigious NEWSWEEK magazine had
already prepared two different
cover photos since the outcome
was very uncertain. Meanwhile
rumors were floating around that
the results from Florida might result in a recount battle similar to
the aftermath of 2000 presidential
elections when the Republican
candidate George Bush defeated
his rival candidate former US Vice
president Al Gore by a wafer thin
majority after a grueling 36 day
recount battle.
By late night, the results from
the various states across the nation were pouring in and the supporters of Hilary Clinton were
already in a jubilant mood. However even past midnight nothing
was certain and suddenly there
were signs of Trump sweeping the
polls causing panic among Hilary’s supporters. By around 3.00
AM, the unthinkable was about
to happen and it was almost obvious the less favoured Trump had
trounced defying all odds and was
declared President-elect. There
was shock and disbelief among
millions across the globe while there was panic
among many within USA. Yet the unexpected had
happened once again proving that change is the
only thing that would not change.

How this unexpected situation evolved
Soon after this abrupt turn of events, the famous
quote “Success has many fathers. Failure is an orphan”, a phrase based on a local proverb quoted
by Count Galeazzo Ciano son-in law of Mussolini
began to surface in the minds of many. The world
began to grudgingly accept the reality that they
may have to deal with an unpredictable personality. Yes David had actually defeated the proverbial
giant Goliath.
Though both the candidates were highly unpopular, it was a case of Hobson’s choice for many

28

voters. Many unwillingly voted for the candidate
of their choice since they had no alternative. In
the end, the voters began to consider rejecting the
seemingly victorious Hillary Clinton who had been
hoping to make history by becoming the first ever
female US president. However she probably was
not aware that the voters had been preparing for
a real change and were not ready to hand over an-

The private emails
It emerged that while Secretary of State, Mrs.
Clinton had been using a vulnerable private email
server to send classified information. This was at
best reckless, at worst criminally negligent.
In July, the FBI announced it would not recommend criminal charges. While she had been ‘extremely careless’, it looked as if Mrs.
Clinton was in the clear.
Then came the bombshell. Ten days
before polling day, FBI director James
Comey sent a letter to Congress to
say that his bureau was reviewing yet
another tranche of Clinton emails related to her use of the private server.
Trump’s people seized gleefully on this
as evidence of poor judgment.
Then, however, Comey said the FBI
had given the emails a clean bill of
health. But many Democrats felt that
by then the damage had been done
in the eyes of the voters. The Clinton
dream of a White House dynasty was
over and there was the death of a dynasty rotten to the core.
The events that lead to the impeachment of Bill Clinton a decade ago was
still fresh in the minds of the voters.
Meanwhile so many fraudulent activities involving the once powerful couple
began to emerge and they were instrumental in swaying the minds of the voters who began to provide their support
to Trump.
Finally the series of scandals involving former President Clinton and
his ambitious wife Hillary had come
to haunt them resulting in their high
hopes demolished and their dreams
dashed for ever.
Once again the famous quotation
“Man proposes but God disposes” has
been proved correct and undoubtedly it
has been confirmed that God Almighty
is the greatest judge who controls every
event in the universe.

other term of office for the Clinton family since the
damage caused to the office of US presidency by
her husband and former President Bill Clinton had
caused ‘Clinton fatigue’ in the minds of the voters.
Even with the active support of President Obama
and the first lady Michelle Obama, Hillary was
unable to achieve her ambition of moving into the
oval office.
While Hillary was actively campaigning, supporters of her rival candidate were busy unearthing everything about her past activities. When her
involvement in so many alleged fraudulent activities began to surface, her voter base started cracking and her campaign was heading towards disaster. As per the idiom “The last straw that broke the
camel’s back”, suddenly there an announcement by
FBI that Hilary’s involvement in using her private
email for official communication was about to be
investigated.

www.monsoonjournal.com

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

DECEMBER 2016

World
News
Special
Feature

Christmas
A Historical Review
Raymond Rajabalan

F

or unto you are born this day in
the city of David a saviour, who
is Christ the Lord
And this shall be sign unto you
.Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger

- Luke 2: 11-12

The central theme of
Christmas is: Peace on
Earth, Good Will towards
men as proclaimed by the
angels who announced the
birth of infant Jesus on the
first Christmas.
We are in the midst of Christmas, a
festive period concerning the birth of
a child that altered the courses of history of mankind, the arrival of angels,
three wise men – Gasper, Melchior and
Balthazar- who came from the east to
Jerusalem and the star of Bethlehem
that guided them to the place of birth of
Jesus, the son of God. No other holiday
boast of such a wealth of traditions and
customs.
Christmas, the most widely celebrated festival in the world brings joy,
hope and light to mankind in the darkest month of the year. The season is
marked by an outpouring of good will
on the path of making peace and this is
also a time of sharing and generosity.
A collection of interesting information
relating this global festival that binds
a variety of religions and beliefs across
the continents is listed below.

1. Origin of the word
“Christmas”:

The word Christmas arose from the
old English word Christes Masses

2. Christmas Star: It is gen-

erally accepted that Christ was born
during B.C 5-7
• It is believed that during this period
the planets Jupiter and Saturn were on
the same orbit and the galaxy of Pisces
approached these planets resulting in a
blinding light that shone for a brief period. This could have been the Christmas
Star (Star of Bethlehem) that guided to
the manger where Jesus was born. It
was at this time an angel appeared in
front of the Shepherds who were guarding their sheep. It was also at this time
the first carol was sung by a chorus of
angels “Glory to be god in the highest
and peace to his people on Earth”
• Another view is that this bright star
would have been the comet named Hailley that appeared during B.C 11-12 providing a bright glow.
Generally, stars had an important
place in the history of Jewish people
• Jesus was often referred to as the
descendant of Abraham. The birth of
Abraham is indicated by a rising star.
• According to Old Testament, the
galaxy of Pisces, Jupiter and Saturn
were associated with the life of prophet
Moses

3. Why is Christmas celebrated on Dec 25 th?
11th year in circulation

The year and date of birth of Christ
are uncertain and even the place of
birth is open to dispute.
According to the Gospel of Mathew, it
is stated that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, during the reign of
Emperor Herod, who died in year B.C
4. Based on this and various other information, it is believed that Christ was
born in the period B.C 4-5
However, until the 4th century, there
was some dispute regarding the actual
date of birth of Christ. To settle this conflict, an appeal was made to Pope John 1
by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in 4th century A.D and as a result it was decided
that effective A.D 354 Christmas should
be celebrated on Dec 25th.

4. Significance of the
colours - Red, White and
Green

Red: Indicates Charity, Blood and
Faith. Out of these three, Blood signifies that throughout the world, mankind
is the same.
White: Refers to Purity, Light and
Happiness
Green: Symbolizes New Life, Hope
and Nature

5. Santa Claus: In 1809 an
American writer Washington Irving
wrote in an article titled ‘A History of
New York’ describing Saint Nicholas,
a fourth century Bishop as a chubby
and jovial person who used to travel by
a sledge pulled by a herd of rein deer.
During his life time Saint Nicholas
was said to have performed numerous
miraculous deeds and brought gifts to
countless needy people.
Based on the description of Washington Irving, in 1822, Dr.Clement Moore,
a professor of Hebrew and Literature at
the University of New York wrote a poetry “The night before Christmas” and
read it to his children. In the following
year this poem was published in a local
magazine Tory Sentinel (New York) on
Christmas Day.
In 1863, Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist drew a rotund elf dressed

in a furry suit and jaunty cap decorated
with holly sprigs in a periodical named
“Harper’s Weekly” and named the picture as Santa Claus. This picture soon
became famous across the continents
and today Santa in red robes is one of
the most recognizable figures in the
world. Santa now colours the language
and customs of people every where and
wherever he appears he radiates the
warmth and good cheer that is Christmas.

6. Origin of the name
Santa Claus:

The geographical region presently referred to as Turkey was referred to as
Asia Minor in the 4th Century. Saint
Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra (a city
of Demre located on the south coast of
Turkey) lived during this period and because of his helping the needy people,
his fame spread northwards towards
medieval Europe.
In Holland (present day Netherlands),
the name of Saint Nicholas was referred
to as “Sinterklass” and in this country
Dec 6th is celebrated as a special day of
St.Nicholas, the children’s saint.
When a few people from Holland
(present day Netherlands) arrived on
Christmas day in Manhattan in United States, these Dutch settlers named
Saint Nicholas as their patron saint
and the first church built by them was
dedicated after the saint. As more colonists from Holland began to arrive, they
brought their Christmas customs along
with them. When British forces gained
control of New York in the 17th century,
the name Santerklass was anglicized
into Santa Claus.

7. How did Christmas
tree became part of
Christmas celebrations?

Egyptians celebrated mid winter using palm trees having twelve shoots.
The number of shoots indicated the
number of the year.
Meanwhile many centuries ago, Romans used to have a lavish mid winter

www.monsoonjournal.com

festival called Saturnalia which was
held to honour God Saturn, the god of
peace and abundance. During this feast
held during January, they lighted pine
trees with candles. This festival could
have been prelude to Christmas trees.
The first Christmas trees were used
in Germany in the town of Alsac, then
a region of West Germany. Decorating evergreen trees was begun in 1950.
When Martin Luther, a religious leader
in Germany tied candles to the branches of fir tree. He wanted the children
to watch the candles shining through
the dark to remind them of the stable
in Bethelehem .In Germany Christmas
trees were then called Christbaum.
In 1940, the German born Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria introduced Christmas tree to Britain. Tinsels,
garlands, candles and lights were added
to these trees as Christmas decorations.
In1894 , the prince arranged to have a
beautifully decorated tree at Windsor
Castle.Since them the Royal family began the practice of taking photographs
around the tree each Christmas. A number of people in the country rushed to
follow the example set by royals and as
a result, the popularity of Christmas
trees began to spread throughout the
world.

8. Christmas Cards
‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year”. Millions of people around the
world across express this familiar sentiment using a variety of Christmas cards
of every imaginable size, shape and colour.Like gifts, these greeting cards are
also a token of friendship and good will.
They help to convey the feelings that
sometimes are difficult to express.
It is generally believed that the first
Christmas Cards were produced by an
English businessman Sir Henry Cole.
They were designed by Cole’s fiend, an
artist named John Calcott Horsley. In
1843 Cole printed 1000 Cards and by
1870 they became popular and now they
have become a pleasant part of Christmas festivities.

29

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

World News

Don’t Panic
Go Organic
By: Group - Buy Organic, Grow Organic (B.O.G.O) from Grade 8 Students at Brookside Public School

D

id you know that organic food
tastes way better than nonorganic food? Not only that, but
when farmers that grow non-organic food put herbicides, pesticides
and fertilizers into their
crops, it contaminates the water in
the and makes more problems!

Where can you get organic
food?
Its pretty easy in the summer:
check out your local farmers market,
grow them in your backyard
or go to a farm and pick your own.
What about the winter? In the winter, consider growing your
plants indoors by making a garden

That is why we created a group:
Brookside’s Buy Organic, Grow Organic (B.O.G.O.)
We all need to eat organic food!
Not only does it prevent harmful
substances from going in the
waterways, it has good health
benefits and tastes good too!

tower or many local grocery stores
also have organic
sections! You don’t have to buy everything organic, just focus on these
foods, they are known
as the Dirty Dozen:
Apples, Celery, Sweet bell peppers, Peaches, Strawberries,

Nectarines, Grapes, Spinach,
Lettuce, Cucumbers, Blueberries
and Potatoes.
Don’t Panic, Go Organic
A garden tower is designed for
extended growing in the winter. To
build a garden tower, you can
go on YouTube and type DIY garden tower. Here is a link of a video
that we thought would be
useful when you start building a
garden tower.
https://youtu.be/n4CeEArY1lg
These are four tips that will
make your garden tower even better in the winter:
1. Place your garden tower near
something that has heat (ex: like a
building)
2. Reduce the amount of wind
exposure
3. Buy a breathable covering for
the garden tower
4. Plant plants that are can grow
in cool season (ex: herbs)
Not everyone has the time to
make a garden tower. If you’re one

of them, then you can always go to
your local grocery store and buy organic food from the organics section.
In the summer, one way you can
save money is by buying seeds and
planting your own garden. By planting your own fruits and vegetables it
will always be there at your convenience.
Did you know cow waste manure
also has harmful substances in it
that comes from industrial farms?
Chemicals such as antibiotics and
growth hormones all contaminates
the waterways. We also have a solution for this too! Like you guessed
it, there are organic meat. Organic
meat comes in huge chunks so one
thing we suggest doing is to talk to
your neighbours and split your meat.
Now that you’ve got a glimpse of
how buying organic food can save
our waterways, will you take the
next steps to stop this problem?
You have the power to make a
change so don’t let it go to waste.

Giving the Gift of Education

At RG Education Centers, we believe that all
individuals have the potential to excel when
given the proper materials and attention.
RG Education Centers empowers students to
reach their full potential by helping them
master the skills and knowledge they need for
success at a higher level.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIRCADIAN LIGHTING REGULATOR
Mathematics Fails in Human Response to Circadian Lighting
Uthayan Thurairajah

senses optical radiation but does not provide
visual sensation. The ipRGC photoreceptor

light input (the opposite) in the evening and
night. The ipRGCs constitute a separate
retinal photoreceptor class to the rods and
cones. We have to focus research attention
on the knowledge gaps that most obstruct
the development of recommendations for
indoor and outdoor lighting.

Light therapy

MONO COLOR

he light is electromagnetic radiation
T
that excites vision and perception. Our
circadian system repeats every 24 hours

requires daily light exposure to the eye
and skin to remain synchronized with the
environment. Researchers indicated that
all light exposures are not created equal
when it comes to the circadian system. This
conclusion has significant consequences for
studying how lighting influence our body.
According to Mariana Figueiro, shortwavelength blue light, including natural
light from the blue sky, is highly effective
at stimulating the circadian system.
Exposure to other wavelengths of light may
necessitate longer exposure times or require
higher exposure levels to be as efficient.
Exposure to multiple wavelengths of light
concurrently can result in less stimulus to
the circadian system than if either color
were viewed separately.
The multiple
wavelengths of light produce a “spectral
opponency” in the retina of the eye. As a
result, less stimulus to the circadian system.
According to the Lighting Research Center
scientists, the visual, and non-visual system
shares neurons in the retina. Multiple
wavelengths of light exhibit spectral
opponency and form the foundation for our
perception of color, contrast, shadow, depth
perception and more.

Experiment:

The LRC researchers exposed ten
subjects to three experimental conditions to
demonstrate the spectral opponency.

1. Left Eye - one unit of blue light and
Right eye - one unit of green light
2. Left Eye - one unit of green light
and Right eye - one unit of blue light
3. Both eyes - Half a unit of green
light plus half a unit of blue light

In all three experiment, the melatonin
levels were measured.
According to
professor Figueiro, under the first two
conditions, exposure to a single color in each
eye did not provide any significant difference
in melatonin suppression. From the third
experiment, exposure to both colors in both
eyes resulted in significantly less melatonin
suppression. In all three condition, the
amount of light in the eye was the same.
The response of the system was reduced
when the two colors of lights were combined
in the same eye. It is because of the retinal
spectral opponent mechanisms. Therefore,
the spectral opponency is a fundamental
characteristic of how the human retina
converts light into neural signals in the
human circadian system. This method
can correctly predict the circadian system
response demonstrated under each of the
three experimental conditions.

Suitable Light at the
Suitable Time

The photoreception in the eye leads
to vision and also non-visual human
physiology, mood, and behavior. The primary
evidence for the new photoreceptors,
called melanopsin-containing or intrinsic
photosensitive retinal ganglion cells
(ipRGC). The ground-breaking discovery
of a new ipRGC in the human eye that

11th year in circulation

was played a role in circadian regulation,
particularly of the hormone melatonin.
We are studying that these photoreceptors
influence many other processes as well. In
recent years the slogan “Human-Centric
Lighting” has come to describe light and
lighting that is intended to address all of

CIRCADIAN

these effects.
Scientists, engineers, lighting industry,
lighting designers, and other stakeholders
have continued to identify various options.
The non-visual lighting effects play a critical
role in the health and wellbeing of the people.
Therefore, the lighting industry, designers,
and healthcare professionals are trying
to find the way to resolve the non-visual
lighting effects issue by providing design
solutions and developing new products.
The established knowledge in this field
is still infancy. The non-visual effects of
light depend oncolor, intensity, distribution,
and spectral power distribution as well
as exposure time, duration, and history.
The ipRGC photoreceptor and a plan for
quantifying the stimulus light for the human
visual and non-visual photo reception system
is a very complicated challenging task. It
has been researched by various scholars
around the world recognizing the interaction
between all of the photoreceptors.

Identifying the
Suitable Light:

The Non-visual responses are subject to
complex signal processing in the central
nervous system and influenced by as-yetunresolved interactions of photo receptive
units. The misunderstanding of the inputoutput characteristics of light stimulus and
the resulting non-visual response seems
to make simple light application for the
desired lighting effect impossible. On the
other hand, observations in the laboratory
and implementation studies show beneficial
effects on human health and performance,
using lighting systems.
The central philosophy for these
observations has been to increase the light
levels and change spectral composition
during daytime to provide increased amount
of light input to the ipRGCs, and reduced

Our body is a susceptible entity, and
a single mistake may end up causing an
enormous problem, but we can avoid with
the help of science and nature. Various
treatments have been devised to deal with
different types of disorders that our body
may get. One of the approaches is the
Circadian Lighting Regulator therapy which
can be used to treat various diseases. The
use of artificial light or natural sunlight may
be strange to some people. It is evident that
the light therapy is certainty of healing. It
has been recorded to be higher as compared
to the other methods of treatment.

Circadian Lighting Regulator

The development
of
Circadian
Light
regulator
emphasizes the use of
monochromatic color
light to stimulate the
circadian
rhythm.
The
required
dose
limit
and
the
quantification
to
calculate
the
“circadian
efficacy”
of the different light
levels and colors
for the individual
need more research,
clinical trials, and
validation. Blue light is highly efficient to
suppress the melatonin bit it has a problem

Circadian Lighting Regulator.
The model circadian regulator predicts
the circadian response to any human subject
correctly and can be utilized as a new
system of the Circadian Lighting Regulator.
The current photo pic light measurement
method is based on almost human visual
sensitivity but not non-visual sensitivity.
The quantification of lighting as a stimulus
for the circadian system provide new
scientific insights into how the human body
processes light and lighting for the circadian
system. This process is a complextask,
and each person circadian rhythm is little
different. Therefore, the light level, time
and duration of exposure must be set for
the individual. Further studyis required
the way time of night affects the strength of
light exposure. A comprehensive Circadian
Lighting Regulator will stimulate and,
importantly, do not stimulate the circadian
system.
Typically, the nocturnal melatonin
produced at night and under conditions
of darkness is used as a marker for the
circadian clock. Scientific evidence suggests
that the interruption of the circadian
rhythm may result in increased poor
sleep quality, seasonal depression, lack of
alertness, malignant tumor growth as well
as so many other diseases as a result of
immune deficiencies.
Author has found a way of regulating the
human circadian rhythm using artificial
LED lighting. The Circadian Light Regulator
will provide so many benefits to the health
and wellbeing of people. This system can be
utilized anywhere. His continued research
and commitment over the several years
have opened the door for this development.
Finally, he derived the best method to
regulate our circadian rhythm using current
advanced LED technology. He thinks that
this approach will transform the way of our
busy lives.

Summary

LIGHT EXPOSURE

with photo biological safety. Red and amber
color lights have less efficient to suppress
melatonin. Therefore, It is a good idea to
use the monochromatic green light for this

In order to get a
comprehensive
data
set, further research
is required for testing
each human subject for
various light exposure
condition
and
the
corresponding melatonin
suppression. A data sheet
will be prepared for the
individuals
according
to their exposure time,
duration, color, type and
intensity of lighting.
This tunable Circadian
Lighting Regulator can
be used any location.
Further study and clinical
trials are required to
validate this for using all
different type of people.
Now, we have this
new circadian regulator
to regulate our circadian
rhythm. The authoris
under
the
process
of
consulting
with
various
individuals
and the organization
in the possibilities of
bringing this system to
market. The benefits are
enormous when we see
the number of diseases
developed as a result of
melatonin suppression.

CLR-LIGHT EXPOSURE

Uthayan Thurairajah is a Senior Engineer and Associate at WSP|MMM Group with over twenty years of experience in
Electrical Engineering and Lighting field, and he also holds a Lecturer position in the Department of Communication and
Design at Ryerson University. Uthayan is a member of several Canadian and international professional association including
Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) and Association for Prevention
Teaching and Research (APTR). He has worked on multi-disciplinary lighting and electrical projects for the Ministry of
Transportation, various Towns, Municipalities, Regions and others. Ha carries out research on the subject of lighting and taken
part in several projects. He also has extensive research experience in the value of lighting design in the mental, emotional,
and social well-being of a person. He is a frequent presenter and author on lighting design & health. He is passionate about
integrating science and health into the lighting design.

www.monsoonjournal.com

31

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

Business & Finance
MANAGING YOUR MONEY

What motivates you to contribute
to your RRSP or TFSA?

How do you contribute to your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP)
and your tax-free savings account
(TFSA)? Do you make regular contributions through the year? Do you contribute when a friend or family member
nudges you? Do you remember to do
so when your professional advisor reminds you? Or do you want to make up
for last year when you forgot to invest
in or top up your RRSP or TFSA?
It really doesn’t matter what motivates you to contribute to your RRSP

or TFSA – what matters is that you
domake regular contributions. Here’s
why:
Investment experts agree:
An RRSP is the best retirement
savings strategy for most Canadians.
Yourcontributions and all the investment earnings that accumulate in your
plan are tax exempt until you start using the money in retirement. Add in
the fact that your contributions can
be used to reduce taxes and the magic
of compoundingthat enhances RRSP
growth over time and it’s easy to see
why a registered plan makes such good
financial sense.
To get the most in immediate tax
savings and long-term growth from
your RRSP, always make your maximum contribution each year. For 2016
the maximum RRSP contribution is
$25,370 (How much youcan contribute
can be found on your most recent notice
of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency.) The RRSP contribution
deadline for the 2016 tax year is March
1, 2017. If you have any unused contribution room left over from previous

32

years, fill it up as quickly as possible
for maximum long-term tax-deferred
growth and additional tax savings.
Your RRSP contribution tax deduction
can be carried forward to future tax
years, which can be useful if you expect
a jump in income in the next few years.
Preparing for retirement should
start early with a savings strategy that
will make it possible for you to accumulate the most wealth for use (and enjoyment!) through allyour retirement
years. The best retirement savings

strategy for most Canadians is a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)
because your contributions and all the
income that accumulates in your plan
are tax deferred until you start using
that money in retirement.
Young people who are starting a
career and working toward major financial goals such as paying off student debt or buying a home often put
contributing to an RRSP on the backburner in the hope that they’ll be able
to catch up later. The truth is a small
amount invested earlier in your life has
a greater financial impact than more
money invested later on.
TFSAs are an excellent and flexible way to save
Every Canadian over the age of 18
is eligible to save in a TFSA and the investments held within the TFSA grow
on a tax-free basis. TFSA withdrawals
can be made at any time for any reason – and the withdrawn money is taxfree. Almost anyone can benefit from a
TFSA- but if you have one, be careful
because there is one not-well-understood re-contribution rule that could

cost you an unexpected tax hit. That
mistake: Making a withdrawal from
your TFSA and replacing the money
too early (Provided that you have been
maxing out the contribution every
year).
With a TFSA, there is no tax deduction for your contributions but all
TFSA investment earnings are totally
tax-free and will not trigger clawbacks
on federal tax credits or benefits programs (such as the Guaranteed Income
Supplement, Old Age Security, Age
Credit, GST Credit, or Canada Child
Benefit). The current annual maximum TFSA contribution is $5,500 plus
the full amount of any previous year
withdrawals. If you don’t use all your
contribution room right away, it accumulates year after year – fill it up any
time you want. By the way, your TFSA
contributions do not affect your RRSP
contribution room.
There’s no doubt that regular contributions to a RRSP and TFSA are
vital to your financial future. Your professional advisor can help you get the
most from a RRSP, a TFSA and every
other element of your overall financial

plan.
So
where
does
this
leave
us?Generally speaking, a TFSA may
bebetter suited for shorter-term
goals,such as an emergency fund or
savingfor a major purchase, since there
isno tax on withdrawals and these
planwithdrawals are added back into
yourTFSA contribution room the followingyear. However, for long-termobjectives, RRSPs are generally thevehicle of choice since there arestrong
incentives to keep your moneyinvested,
in the form of taxes and lostcontribution room on the withdrawalsfrom an
RRSP. The TFSAcan also be a powerful
retirementsavings tool. However due
to the easewith which TFSA savings
can beaccessed (no taxes on withdrawals orloss of contribution room) only a
disciplinedinvestor who can resist thetemptation to dip into their savingsprior to retirement will fully benefitfrom
its potential as a source ofretirement
income.Remember, there is no one-sizefitsallsolution. In fact, there is a multitudeof variables that must be takeninto consideration. In many cases,the
TFSA should be used as a complementaryproduct, along with yourRRSPs, as
they both have their own advantages.
Your personal savingsstrategy needs to
take into accountyour unique circumstances as well asyour short and longterm objectives.
There’s no doubt that regular contributions to a RRSP and TFSA are
vital to your financial future. Your professional advisor can help you get the
most from a RRSP, a TFSA and every
other element of your overall financial
plan.
Disclaimer:
This report specifically written and
published as a general source of information only, and is not intended as a
solicitation to buy or sell specific investments or insurance, nor is it intended
to provide investment advice. For more
information on this topic, please contact me.

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Business & Finance

Investing in a Rental Property
Buying rental property can be one
of the most secure and fastest ways to
build wealth. However, before you begin your entrance into real estate investing you should consider the following pros and cons.
Main advantages:
1. Tax advantages
You can deduct certain expenses
from your income – reducing the taxes you owe. Deductions can include
mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, utility bills, maintenance/upgrades and property management fees.
2. You may be able to deduct
losses for tax purposes
If your expenses exceed your rental
income, you may be able to deduct that
loss from any other sources of income
you have. This could reduce your total
tax bill.
3. You get a regular monthly income
Other kinds of investments may pay
out less often or income may be less
predictable.
4. Real estate value usually appreciates over time
You may end up with a sizable profit
when you sell your property after a few
years. However, this is only true as a
long term investment.
As a landlord, you can deduct certain property expenses from your in-

come – reducing the taxes you owe. If
your expenses exceed your rental income, you may be able to deduct that
loss from any other sources of income
you have.
Key disadvantages:
1. You take on the responsibilities and challenges of a landlord
Rental units need repair – sometimes on an emergency basis. Dealing
with tenants can be challenging, especially if they don’t pay their rent on
time and cash flow is tight. If you hire a
property manager to take care of these
things for you, their salary is an added
cost.

2. It may be difficult and costly
to sell the property later
Real estate is not a liquid investment. That means it can take time to
sell, depending on market conditions.
It can also be costly to sell due to real
estate and legal fees.
3. It may be difficult to finance
the purchase
You must have a down payment of
at least 20% when you buy a second
property. You may need a mortgage.
And, you will have high monthly expenses to cover when you own a building. Of course, you hope the income you
receive from your tenants will cover

this.
Buying and then renting a property
is a lot more complicated than investing in stocks and bonds. Talk to an
accountant, lawyer, mortgage broker
or other financial expert about how
it may affect your taxes and financial
situation and be sure it is going to be a
worthwhile investment for you.
This info is provided by Raj
Nadarajah, Sales Representative
at RE/MAX Excel Realty Ltd., Brokerage, Tel: 416-3333-6115, E-Mail:
nanohomes@gmail.com
For contact info, please visit
page 11

Parental Sponsorship applications to re-open in January
2016 is coming to an end rapidly
and it is time to prepare the parental
sponsorship applicationsif one is considering filing them. There is only one
opportunity in a year to submit such
an application. Therefore, one must
take advantage of it when the program
is open or else they will have to wait
another 12 months. Every year, the
program is open for a few days in January to take in a pre-determined number of applications and upon receiving
the cap, they will close the program for
that particular year.

In January of 2016, the new government accepted 10,000 parental sponsorship applications. The years before
in a row, they accepted only 5,000 such
application. Irrespective of the intake
numbers, it is important to prepare a
complete application and file as early
as possible in the New Year to avoid it
being returned after reaching the cap.
The Sponsors must meet the following eligibility criteria in order to submit a parental sponsorship application:
- Be 18 years of age or more
- Be a Canadian citizen or a Perma-

nent Resident of Canada
- Must be resident in Canada
- Making an undertaking of assistance to meet the basic requirements of
the parent or parents being sponsored
- Meet the financial test according to
the number of family members including the parent or parents sponsored.
This test is based on the Low Income
Cut-Off rates [LICO].
If one is on social assistance, has
defaulted an immigration loan, a previous undertaking or family support
payments, an undischarged bankrupt,

if convicted of a sexual or violent crime
against a family member, if ordered removed from Canada or if in jail, they
will not qualify to submit a sponsorship
application.
Unlike in other family class sponsorships, parental category demands the
income test for 3 years. In this regard,
the annual income of both spouses, if
married or in a common-law relationship will be considered.
The government immigration website provides the following income table:

Federal Income Table for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship
Size of Family Unit

Welcome to our recipe corner! We
sisters will entice you with recipes
that we have fallen in love with and
teach you a little Tamil along the
way, as all the ingredients will have
their Tamil names. Both of us love
to cook and we have developed
very different styles. Niranjini has a
very refined palate and cooks more
contemporary world cuisine with an
Asian touch. Rajini is a seasoned
homemaker who loves making
traditional dishes for her friends and
family. Follow us on Instagram: @
ninjaeatsfood and @tamil_food

Eat more, learn more!

Sisters Niranjini Thirunesan and Rajini
Nathan are both food enthusiasts from
England. Niranjini, who lives in London,
is a trained chef and founder of catering
firm Inji Roots. Niranjini has a degree
in Human biology and makes it her
business to know everything about what
she eats, from nutritional value to the
source producers. Check out her recipes
at www.ninjaeatsfood.wordpress.com
and Inji roots can be found on Facebook
and Instagram @Inji_roots. Rajini, lives
in Toronto and has a background in
psychology. Her speciality is in Tamil food
from around the world, catch up on her

We thought we’d end this year with a sweet treat for everyone. This recipe is from
another member of the Monsoon Journal family, Krishni Narine, who has kindly
shared this with us (and Rajini says it tasted amazing!) Plus it’s a great way to get rid
of all the pumpkin you might have left over from Thanksgiving.

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, evaporated milk (note not condensed milk) eggs,
brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and mix, preferably with an electric whisk
(or you could just do it by hand the traditional way- free gym session)
Pour into the pie bases and bake for 40 mins. Check that it’s done by inserting a knife
into the centre, if it comes out clean, your pie is ready. Leave to cool a little and enjoy!
Try making this recipe this month and do hashtag #monsoonjournal on Instagram
and send us your pics, comments and feedback. Spread the love (and recipe!)

Tribute to a music legend
Carnatic music maestro and legendary playback singer

Balamuralikrishna is no more

By Siva Sivapragasam
He burst into the music world as a
nine year old child prodigy with his first
concert and later became famous among
music connoisseurs and laymen alike
with his Carnatic classics and melodious playback songs.
Manganapalli Balamuralikrishna,
Carnatic singer, composer and playback
singer passed away recently in his sleep
at the age of eighty-six in Chennai after
he had a cup of coffee in the afternoon.
He is survived by his wife, four sons and
two daughters.
Apart from his Carnatic songs, no
music lover can forget his classic playback film song “Oru naal pothuma” in
producer AP Nagarajan’s blockbuster
devotional movie “Thiruvilayadal”, sung
for the veteran actor TS Balaiah whose
gestures made the song an instant hit.
Millions around the world were mesmerized by this song. It is said that the
music composer KV Mahadevan wanted
Seerhali Govindarajan to sing this song
but producer AP Nagarajan considered
Seerhali’s voice for this song a little effeminate and insisted on Balamurali
Krishna to give effect to a more deeper

voice displaying arrogance of a proud
singer in the film’s story.
Balamuralikrishna’s music career
began when he was a child and had his
first music concert was when he was
nine years old. In later years he was
awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s
second-highest civilian honour for his
contribution towards Indian Art. He
was made Chevalier of the Ordre des
Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2005.
Balamurali Krishna was born in
Sankaraguptam, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh state. His father
was a well known musician and could
play the flute, violin and the veena and
his mother was an excellent veena player. His mother died when he was an infant and Balamuralikrishna was raised
by his father and aunt. Observing his
penchant for music, his father put him
under the tutelage of Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu, a direct descendant
of the shishyaparampara of Tyagaraja.
By the age of fifteen he had mastered all
the 72 melakartha ragas and had composed krithis. Balamurali Krishna has
been invited to give concerts in many
countries, including the US, Canada,

UK, Italy, France, Russia,
Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Middle East and
many more.
A score of awards and
titles have been bestowed
upon Balamuralikrishna
throughout his career.
These include an honorary
Ph.D., D.Sc., and D.Lit.
certificates from Andhra
University,
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological
University, and Sri Verkateswara University and
an honorary “first citizen” award from
Vijayawad. In 1978, Balamuralikrishna
was named “Sangeetha Kalanidhi.” He
received the award as “Wisdom man of
the year” in 1992. Four years later, he
was named “Naada Maharishi” by the
Nrityala Aesthetics Society.
His music appealed to both connoisseurs and laymen alike. In the classical
music he was able to give “play acting”
to the essence of the lyrics in his song.
In the film world, Oru Naal Pothuma,
set to ragamalika in Thiruvilayadal,
Chinna Kannan Azhaikiran, a reetigowla based song in the film Kavikuil,

Mounathil Vilayadum Manasatichye in
the film Noolveli and abohi raga song
Thanga Ratham Vanthathu in the film
Kalai Koil continue to enchant generation of music lovers.
Music director Ilaiyaraaja, for whom
Balamuralikrishna sang the all-time
favourite ‘Chinnakannanazhaikiraan’,
said, “There can never be another Balamuralikrishna in this world.”
Music legend Balamuralikrishna is
no more but his songs which mesmerized and captivated the hearts of millions of music lovers around the world
will live for many more years.

Sailan Muslim Foundation of Canada organizes
The Islamic History Month Of Canada
The Sailan Muslim Foundation
of Canada and it’s Associate Members organized The Islamic History Month Of Canada at the Islamic
Institute of Toronto.
The event took place with celebrations for the fourth year in succession
along with an exhibition. IHMC was
proclaimed through a motion in the
Parliament by Ex Member of Parliament Hon. Mauril Belanger PC, MP for
Ottawa-Vanier, initiated by the Canadian Islamic Congress in 2007. Since
then it has been adopted by the Muslim Community throughout Canada,
giving a golden opportunity to share
the rich heritage of the Muslim world,
contributions made by Muslim scholars
and inventors. Mr. Sameem Mohamed
is the President of Sailan Muslim
Foundation of Canada.
October is now officially be recognized as Islamic Heritage Month in
Ontario as well after the legislature
unanimously passed an act Thursday
October 6th, 2016. It began as an NDP
private members’ bill, and party leader
Andrea Horwath, MPP says it’s an opportunity to celebrate and learn about
the history of Islamic culture. The idea
of including an exhibition of traditional
Sri Lankan costumes worn by the early
Muslims of Sri Lanka together with

11th year in circulation

common household items and artifacts
used by them was initiated by Ziard
Deen, Trustee of SMFC.
The Sri Lankan participation commenced with the exhibition opening
to the public from Thursday the 20th
to 22th October and concluding with a
grand event and dinner on Saturday
the October 22nd, 2016 which included
presentations and addresses by scholars, historians, politicians and other
leaders in the community.
(Seen here are pictures taken at the
event)
Young Participants

Raymond Cho, MPP,
Scarborough-Rouge River

Sameem Mohamed is the President of Sailan Muslim Foundation of Canada

www.monsoonjournal.com

39

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

Community Watch

30th Anniversary of Tamil
Christian Church of Canada
by JJ Atputharajah
TCCC celebrated its 30th Anniversary recently with a Thanksgiving
service presided over by its Pastorin-Charge, Rev. Dr. Albert Jebanesan.
The church was founded in 1986 with
a handful of worshipers consisting of
immigrants from Sri Lanka. It has now
grown into a well organized church
with a definitive mission and plan to
cater to the devotional interests of the
Sri Lankan Tamils and their younger
generation. They also organized a music program (‘Helping Hands’) with ar-

40

tistes from South India in order to raise
funds for the war widows in the Kilinochchchi and Mullaitivu districts in Sri
Lanka. Dr. Poopalan, Principal of Colombo Theological Seminary delivered
the message at the anniversary service
stressing the need for the church to
shape its mission in order to win new
souls to Christ. A cultural program followed the service and all sections of the
church members took part in it. The
cultural program consisted of songs,
dances, fancy-dress parade and a ‘viilu
paatu’ to entertain the people who participated in the celebration.

www.monsoonjournal.com

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

DECEMBER 2016

Community Watch

Roots and Shoots
(A review by Dr. V. Kandavanam)

A drama festival, organized by the
Tamil Writers’ Association of Canada,
took place on the 16th of October, 2016
at the Periya Sivan Temple cultural
hall, Scarborough, ON.
The festival was named ‘Roots and
Shoots’ and it was staged as a New Horizon Program project for Seniors. It
was witnessed by a fully packed enthusiastic audience.
Following the welcome address by
Dr. Balasundaram, the President of
the Association, Mr. Aranka Nedumaran from Tamil Nadu, South India,
captured the hearts of the audience
by his eloquent speech. Then a souvenir was released by the joint editors
Messrs Kuru Aravindan and S. Sivana-

11th year in circulation

yagamoorthy following which the much
anticipated plays were staged.
The plays were of two types. One
was traditional and the other, modern.
The traditional, a folk drama entitled ‘Veedukku Veedu’ meaning ‘House
to House’ was directed by Mr. Mathy
Paskaran, an expert in folklore who
also composed the lyrics.
Kuperaka Kumaresan, Anoji Sivapatham,
Jichayini
Kopalapillai,
Kapesan Thavaseelan, Vamithra Srinagulan, Jaleen Arulraj were the main
actors and the chorus was composed
of Saravanapavan Kanthsamy, Thankavadivel Gopalasingam, Suthrshini
Kalingarathnam, Parameswary Mathy
Paskaran, Thulasi Mathy Paskaran,

all of whom did their parts extremely
well and their performance was punctuated with applause from the enthusiastic audience from time to time.
The other performance was a modern dance drama entitled ‘Panamum
Paasamum’ meaning ‘Money and Affection’.
It was beautifully choreographed
by the able dancer Mrs. Suryakala Jeevananthan. Lyrics were composed by
Kavinayagar V. Kandavanam which
were melodiously sung by Meenuja
Viswathasan supported by Kanesathasan Mahathevan (Miruthangam) and
Suruthi Balamurali (Violin).
The dancers were Virginia Lalkumar, Rakshana Vijayathasan, Mithusa

Thangavel, Janisha Niranjan, Jarshini Ravichandran, Bairavi Gnanamanoharan, Vaishnavi Gnanamanoharan
and Anjali Easwaramoorthy all of
whom did a wonderful job.
The project co ordinator Mr. Sinniah Sivanesan explained to the audience the purpose of the project and conducted the ‘Honouring the Director and
Artistes’ item of the program.
The colorful Drama Festival came
to a conclusion with a vote of thanks by
the Secretary of the Project Committee,
Mrs. Sivanayani Muhunthan.
On the whole the ‘Drama Festival’,
I would vouch, a success. Congratulations Tamil Writers’ Association of
Canada!

www.monsoonjournal.com

41

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

World News

HUMANS OF NORTHERN SRI LANKA
The face Book Community page “Humans of Northern
Sri Lanka” is a pictorial page by Thulasi Muttulingam.
Thulasi Muttulingam is a journalist based in the North
of Sri Lanka. Having grown up away from her hometown
of Jaffna, it is currently her mission to research and
document as much of her culture and heritage as she can.
If you are similarly interested, check out more of her
work at the facebook page ~ Humans of Northern Sri
Lanka:
To follow the updates, “Like” the page at:www.facebook.
com/pages/Humans-of-Northern-Sri-Lanka

“The adage, “everybody has a story to tell” is especially
true of Northern Sri Lanka!
Cut off for several decades from the South, the people
of the North have many unique characteristics and issues
that hardly get press coverage!
Here, inspired by Humans of New York, is a small
attempt to redress this - dedicated to all lovers of Sri
Lanka, including Northern Sri Lanka!”
The following is a recent pictorial that featured in
Humans of Northern Sri Lanka:

hen the severely war-affected
people of Sri Lanka’s North
and East made it out of the refugee
camps containing them from 2010
onwards, they had a new dilemma
to face: where to live?
“We became displaced in 1983
and had been on the move ever
since. We thought we’d return in
three days, which turned into three
weeks and then three years… it
was eventually nearly 30 years
before we could see our beloved
land again.
“When we finally saw our village
in 2010, we found our houses
destroyed, our wells caved in, and
our lands overtaken by forest,”
Says K.Palasivarasa (74), a farmer
from the country’s war-torn Wanni
region.
Sri Lanka’s long drawn brutal
civil war drew to a close in May
2009. Many of those who had
made it out alive had battled
constant displacements, death and
destruction, before finally making
it to Sri Lankan Army run territory,
where they were then placed in
refugee camps. The camps took
years to close as the people’s lands
had to be cleared of landmines and
other hazards first. Some of those
lands became demarcated as ‘High
Security Zones’ by the Sri Lankan
government which left the people
of those areas bereft of their lands.
There are still people living in
refugee camps today seven years
after the war ended, waiting for the
government to release their lands.
Many more languish in refugee
camps in Tamil Nadu as well.
Meanwhile the first of those to be
released from refugee camps to go
back home in early 2010 did not feel
particularly fortunate either. “Our
lands had been overtaken by jungle
shrubs and we found them infested
with wild animals. Snakes, wild
pigs and elephants were running
amok. We did not possess the
funds necessary to clear our lands
at that time. So we sheltered under
trees until aid agencies came to
our rescue with temporary shelters

42

A family
returned to their
ancestral home
in Jaffna from
a Tamil Nadu
refugee camp
They currently
lack the funds
to repair it.bnw

for us to live in,” recalls Prema, a
single mother of five in Mannar,
Northern
Province.
Prema’s
husband died in the last stages of
the war in 2009.
A shell piece from an aerial
bombardment split his head open
and he dropped dead in front of
her. She still has nightmares of the
incident and is under medication

traumas left behind by war.
The temporary shelters the
refugees were first given to settle
in, were erected with corrugated
iron and tin sheets, meant for only
six months’ occupation – yet as it
turned out, they have served as
homes for the people for three to
five years and more now. There are
still people living in these shelters

A single mother
and her family
in front of thier
new house.

for post traumatic stress.
There are many such war widows
left behind like her, struggling to
bring up their children as single
parents in a traditional Tamil
community that had not equipped
them to be breadwinners, while
also still struggling with the

today for lack of anything better,
even though the structures have
become derelict now.

Dream Houses

It was in these circumstances that
the Government of India signed a
memorandum of understanding

with the Sri Lankan government
to build about 50,000 permanent
homes for the war-affected people
of Sri Lanka. When the MOU
was signed in 2012, people were
ecstatic. They had lost all their
material assets in the long drawn
out war and having a permanent
roof over their heads was but a
dream – a dream that the Indian
Government pledged to deliver.
The project was planned to take
an owner-driven approach, with the
beneficiaries being responsible for
building their own houses – while
the Indian Government enlisted
the aid of several high profile aid
agencies such as UN-Habitat,
International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC), Habitat for Humanity
and the Sri Lankan government’s
National Housing Development
Authority
as
implementing
partners in a supervisory capacity.
Unfortunately, the reality of
achieving this dream has not been
a smooth process. The last four
years in the North and East of Sri
Lanka have been quite turbulent
for the resettled refugees, despite
the war being over. Much of their
stress could be directly attributed
to the houses they were building.
“Imagine planning for something
as simple as a family wedding?
How many months would you plan
in advance to make it go off without
a hitch? And even then you would
experience some hiccups along
the way due to unforeseen and
uncharted challenges. Extrapolate
that then to what the Indian
Government tried to gift the Sri
Lankans. Of course some things
went awry and we drew a lot of
criticism for it,” says A Natarajan,
Indian Consul General stationed at
Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
The Indian High Commission
opened up a consulate in Jaffna
in 2010, in order to better promote
the Indian Government’s various
infrastructure and development
activities in these war affected
regions of Sri Lanka.

Congregating for follow up discussions at the
end of the event

www.monsoonjournal.com

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

DECEMBER 2016

World News

A war
-disabed
man and
his family in
front of their
new house.

A temporary
shelter still
in use in the
North

However, as Natarajan, Jaffna’s
Consul General noted, even the
most careful planning and goodwill
could still go amiss. The Indian
Housing Project in the North of
Sri Lanka has come to a close now.
41,950 houses (two-bedroom stone
house units with attached kitchen
and toilet) have been built while a
further 1000 part-damaged houses
have been repaired. The full grant
value of the project is estimated at
US$ 270 million.
Each of the individual housing
units however were allocated a cost
of only SLR 550,000. “We did a pilot

needs; war widows and the wardisabled. These groups were sure
to get a house for their families –
but unfortunately the plan did not
extend to taking their special needs
into account while actually building
the house.
“This housing project was designed
to suit a family with an able-bodied
male as the head of the family, who
could help with the construction of
the house as well as supplement the
grant’s shortfall in cash with his
own earnings,” says J.Nirmala, an
aid agency employee and activist
working in the Northern Province.

One of the
new houses
being built.
In the
backdrop is
the temporary
shelter the
family are
living in.

study in the
provinces before we launched the
project that made us believe that this
amount was enough. However, due
to later inflation in cement and other
prices, many people did struggle to
complete their houses within this
allocated grant money,” explains S.
Niranjan, Consul (Development –
Cooperation) at the Indian consulate
in Jaffna.

Turbulence

From the project’s launch in 2012
til its end in early 2016, an agonized
people leapt through various hurdles
to first gain the housing, and then
complete it. The hurdles had not
been put there to make life difficult
for them but to ensure that they
were awarded the housing grant
in a transparent manner – which
involved the fulfillment of various
rigorous criteria that they had to
prove; to be genuinely war affected,
to be in need of a house, to possess
titles to their own land and so on.
Scrambling to get the paperwork
secured for all this was not an easy
matter. In the meantime the Indian
Government prioritized certain
groups recognizing their special

11th year in circulation

“Nuclear families which did have
such an able bodied man about the
house were able to build the housing
with relatively little difficulty – yet
most of the families left behind
in these regions are those of warwidows and war-disabled men.
They were not equipped to put in
the bodily labour work needed, or
earn the SLR 250,000 that was the
shortfall made up by the grant.”
Although the grant was originally
intended to make up the full cost of
the housing, many people found that
they could build only 2/3 of their
house with it. So they have had to
go into debt to complete the housing;
debts that most of these war ravaged
people being wage labourers, are not
equipped to settle easily.
Over the years, it has led to threats
of foreclosure of the newly built
houses on mortgaged land by banks,
along with attempted suicides by
the traumatized grantees. In the
meantime there have been whispers
of far more serious transgressions
against the people, aired occasionally
and then hushed up again; sexual
abuse of the war widows.
“The women were vulnerable,”
explains an aid agency worker

who declined to be named. “In a
culture where widows are heavily
stigmatized
and
marginalized,
where there would be heavy social
repercussions of being seen even
talking to men, where they were
not equipped to know anything
about carpentry and masonry work,
where they were not equipped to be
breadwinners either but had to pay
out significant amounts of money in
order to complete the house – what
would you expect? The builders
robbed them blind, and often tried to
take advantage of their vulnerability
to gain sexual favours.”
While people have ready anecdotes
to tell, the allegations have mostly
not been proven. “Only one Jaffna
based paper carried allegations of
this sexual abuse. I did not hear of
it from any other quarter,” refutes
A.Natarajan, the Consul-General
in Jaffna. “These allegations were
taken so seriously however that they
were discussed all the way up in the
Indian Parliament.
“At the end of the day, we fail to
see how the Sri Lankan people could
fault the Indian Government even if
such transgressions did take place.
Our intention was to gift the people
with the security of permanent
homes after their long years of trial.
We planned long and hard and
enlisted the very best international
housing-aid agencies in the field as
well as the active collaboration of the
Sri Lankan government. If despite
all this strategic care, some women
were abused under this project,
it is their own fellow Sri Lankan
men who are culpable, for which we
should not be held answerable.”

Closure

Now at the end of the project
however, several stone houses dot
these regions where only tin shacks
once stood. “I had to go into severe
debt and contemplated suicide
several times during the process
of house building,” recalls R.Kala
(26) a single mother of one. “Now,
however, it’s finally over. I am still in
debt but I am slowly paying it back.
It’s humiliating to get lambasted by
debt collectors when I don’t have
enough money to pay them back,
but at the end of the day, I do have
the security of my house to sleep in.
It means a lot to me and my son,
and I am thankful that the Indian
Government facilitated it.”
The housing project delivered
other associated benefits as well.

www.monsoonjournal.com

“For as long as the project lasted,
able bodied men in these areas did
not lack for work opportunities.
Everybody became masons and
carpenters overnight and we were
able to earn well with it,” notes
A.Selvarasa (32), a farm labourer
who had taken up masonry work as
more profitable.
There are still many people left
behind without houses and there
are various other projects sponsored
by other countries and / or the Sri
Lankan government to make up
for this shortfall – yet generally the
people agree, the Indian Housing
Project was the most suitable. The
other housing projects have come in
for far more criticisms on their lack
of suitability to the terrain or the
people’s needs, or for their lack of
transparency and accountability.
A case in point would be the
65000 prefabricated houses of
French-Indian
steel
company
ArcelorMittal at a cost of SLR 2.1
million each that is being proposed
by the current government. There
is a severe backlash against this
housing scheme by civil society in
general because it is budgeted as
being four times pricier than a house
funded by the Indian government
while using far inferior materials
that are not suited to the people’s
needs or the environment. Whereas
the Indian houses are durable and
solid structures made of stone and
cement, the ArcelorMittal houses are
attractive but flimsy pre-fabricated
structures.
While beneficiaries of the proposed
alternate housing schemes are left
blinking therefore, the beneficiaries
of the Indian Housing Scheme
feel grateful currently. “Nothing
worth gaining is gained without
stress, sweat and tears,” shrugs
Palasivarasa, the farmer who
returned to his home after 30 years
to find it overtaken by jungle.
“For nearly 30 years as we
displaced, my family and I were
dependant on the goodwill of
strangers who would allow us to
set up a hut on their lands. To now
finally, have this security of my own
permanent house on my own land is
not something I could have achieved
on my own, so soon after the war
ended. I’ll be paying off debts for
quite a while but it is worth it. If this
message is going to reach the Indian
Government and the Indian people,
please tell them we said: Thank
You.”

Significance of Kavadi and legend about Palani
The Kavadi Attam:
The Kavadi Attamis a lengthy ecstatic trance-inducing dance ritual
done while enduring some form of physical hardship. Generally, the hardship
involves carrying heavy weights up a
steep hill. The form of kavadi that is of
most interest to the body modification
world is where a frame is held (supported by the shoulders and/or hips)
through which long weighted skewers
are passed, which are then pierced into
the skin of the back and chest.
Generally, people take a vow to offer
the Lord a Kavadi for the sake of tiding over a great calamity. Though this
might on the face of it appear mercenary, a moment’s reflection will reveal
that it contains in it the seed for the supreme love for God. The worldly object
is achieved, no doubt, and the devotee
takes the Kavadi; but after the ceremony he gets so God-intoxicated that his
inner spiritual chamber is opened. This
is also a method that ultimately leads
to the supreme state of devotion.
Types of Kavadi:
The ‘Kavadi’ varies in shape and
size from the simple shape of a street
hawker’s storehouse (a wooden stick
with two baskets at each end, slung
across the shoulder) to the costly palanquin structure, profusely flowerbedecked and decoratively interwoven
with peacock feathers. In all cases the
Kavadi has a good many brass bells
adorning it and announcing it as the
Kavadi-bearer draws it along. As, very
often, the Kavadi bearer observes silence; the bells are the only eloquent
signs of a Kavadi procession.
The two baskets hanging at either
end of the Kavadi will contain rice,
milk or other articles that the devotee
has vowed to offer to Lord Muruga.
The more devout among them, and especially those who do it as a ‘Sadhana’
(meditation), collect these articles by
begging. They travel on foot from village to village, and beg from door to
door. The villagers offer their articles
directly into the basket of the Kavadi.
The Kavadi-Bearer
The Kavadi-bearer is required to
observe various rules between the time
he takes up the Kavadi and the day of
the offering. He has to perform elaborate ceremonies at the time of assuming the Kavadi and at the time of offering it to the Lord. He also puts on the
dress of a ‘Pandaram’, a Shaivite mendicant. It consists of a saffron-coloured
cloth, a scarlet conical cap, and a cane
silver-capped at both ends. Lord Shiva,
the Supreme Pandaram, Himself loves
to wear this dress. The Pandaram lives
on alms only. The Kavadi-bearer’s bare
chest is covered with several ‘Rudrak-

44

sha Malas’ (rosaries).
The Kavadi-bearer observes celibacy. He takes only pure, Satwic food;
he abstains from all sorts of intoxicating drinks and drugs, He continuously
thinks of God. Many of the Kavadibearers, especially those who do it as
a spiritual Sadhana, impose various
sorts of self-torture upon themselves.
Agni Kavadi
This is the most difficult Kavadi-offering. With the Kavadi hanging on his
shoulders, the devotee walks through
a pit of burning coals. The devotees all
around the pit sing hymns in praise of
the Lord. The beating of the drums and
the burning of the incense make the
entire atmosphere awe-inspiring. The
real devotee gets into a state of ecstasy
and easily walks over the fire.
Celebrations:
The Kavadi festival is celebrated at
all shrines of Lord Muruga. Dancing
in a hypnotic trance to the rhythm of
drums, devotees of Muruga carry the
Kavadi all the way up the Palani hills
to fulfill their vow. Ettukudi Kavadi
Festival is a famous festival celebrated
during the months of April-May. Devotees from places and villages around
this temple come here with Kavadis,
milk pots, coconuts, cocks and goats.
This is a major crowd pulling festival
where one can see the true Tamil culture in its habitat.
Legend about Palani:
Sage Agastya wanted to take two
hills -- Sivagiri and Saktigiri -- to his
abode in the South and commissioned
his asuran disciple Idumban to carry
them. Idumban was one of the very
few asuran survivors of the suraasuran war between Murugan’s forces and
those of Surapadman. After surviving
the war he had repented and became a
devotee of Lord Murugan.
At this stage, Subrahmanya or
Muruga had just been outwitted by
His brother Ganesa in a contest for going around the world and He was still
smarting over the matter. Ganapati
had won the prized fruit (the Jnana-

www.monsoonjournal.com

pazham) by simply going around His
parents. Long after this, Subrahmanya
came seating on His peacock to find
that the prize had already been given
away. In anger, He vowed to leave His
home and family and came down to Tiru
Avinankudi at the Adivaaram (meaning ‘foot of the Sivagiri Hill’). Siva pacified Him by saying that Subrahmanya
Himself was the fruit (pazham) of all
wisdom and knowledge. Hence the
place was called Pazham-nee (‘You are
the fruit’) or Palani. Later He withdrew
to the hill and settled there as a recluse
in peace and solitude.
Idumban bore the hills slung across
his shoulders in the form of a kavadi,
one on each side. When he reached
Palani and felt fatigued, he placed the
kavadi down to take rest.

When Idumban resumed his journey, he found that he could not lift the
hill. Muruga had made it impossible
for Idumban to carry it. Upon the hilltop the great asuran spotted a little boy
wearing only kaupeenam and demanded that he vacate at once so Idumban
could proceed with his task. The boy,
who was yet in a fighting mood, refused. In the fierce battle which ensued, Idumban was slain but was later
restored to life.
Idumban belatedly recognised the
boy as none other than his ishta devata Murugan and prayed to Him that:
1) whosoever carried on his shoulders
the kavadi, signifying the two hills and
visited the temple on a vow should be
blessed; and 2) he should be given the
priviledge of standing sentinel at the
entrance to the hill. Hence we have the
Idumban shrine half-way up the hill
where every pilgrim is expected to offer
obeisance to Idumban before entering
the temple of Dandayudhapani Swami.
Since then, pilgrims to Palani bring
their offerings on their shoulders in a
kavadi. The custom has spread from
Palani to all Muruga shrines.

Skanda Sashti Celebrations:
It is a six-day Vratam and celebration and commences on Prathamai (the
1st day of the 15-day cycle according
to Hindu Calendar) immediately after
Amavasya and ending on Sashti (6th
day)in the Tamil month of Aippasi (October-November) with Surasamhara.
This year the celebrations are from
Monday October, 31st to Saturday, November 5th.
The Deity, this celebration is
dedicated to:
These are dedicated to the second
son of Lord Shiva, Lord Muruga, also
known as Subramanya, Shanmuga,
Kartikeya to mention a few. On the
Sashti day, it is believed that Lord
Muruga to have killed the mythical demon, Taraka. This is one of the
important festivals in all Saivite and
Muruga temples in South India, Sri
Lanka, Canada, USA, Malaysia and
other countries where there are Tamil
speaking Hindus.
How is it celebrated:
During the six daysdevotees pray

dram in South India events leading to
the annihilation of the Asuras are dramatized and enacted. The Offerings of
Kavadi on Skanda Sashti is also a very
popular form of worship.
The significance of six for Lord
Muruga: The Skanda Sashti is celebrated for six days. Lord Muruga has
six heads. He has six power houses of
energy. He represents our sixth sense
and above all his powerful Maha Mantra which is called “Shadakshari” (six
syllables). The six syllables are – Sa Ra
Va Na Ba va.
To get the full blessings of Lord
Muruga during the Homam, they recite the Maha Mantra, Shadakshari
along with Trishati chanting of the 300
names of Lord Murga.
According to Hindu scriptures, the
special benefits of praying to Lord Muruga on the six days of Skanda Sashti are:
First Day improves business and relationships. Business people, married
couple and unmarried youth can particularly benefit during this day. The
second, third and fourth days brings

and chant inspiring hymns on Lord
Muruga. The inspiring and devotional
hymns of Sri Arunagirinathar in the
popular religious works called Thiruppugazh is chanted by devotees. In addition, the hymns from Kavadichindu
and Skanda Sashti kavacham are also
recited by devotees on this occasion.
Corresponding to six days of the war
over evil forces, devotees under take
fast (Vrata), pray sing devotional songs
in praise of Lord Muruga. In places
like Tiruchendur and Tiruparankun-

relief from health problems and also
can bring sudden turn of events leading to positive outcome. Praying on the
fifth and sixth days can bring Spiritual
bliss, financial benefits and also possible improvement in career/profession.
Aarupadai Veedu refers to the six
sacred temples of Lord Muruga. These
six temples are located in South India,
in the state of Tamil Nadu. Though
there are thousands of temples for
Lord Muruga around the globe, these
six specific temples enjoy unparalleled

11th year in circulation

sanctity and popularity among the devotees and deserve a very special mention and they are:
1. Thiruparankundram – Subramanya Swamy Temple,
2. Tiruchendur – Sendhi Aandavar
Temple,
3. Swamimalai – Swaminatha Swamy Temple,
4. Palani – Dhnadayudhapani Swamy Temple,
5. Thiruthani – Subramanya Swamy Temple and Pazhamudhircholai –
Subramanya Swamy Temple.
These six places are considered to
be the battle camps of Lord Muruga
(Skanda). The term “padai Veedu” in
Tamil means “Battle Camp” and so Aarupadai means six battle camps.
Legend about Skanda Sashti:
It is said that Skanda Sashti is
the story of the birth of Skanda (Kumara) and the fulfilment of the purpose of His divine incarnation. Demon
(Asura) Tarakasura had been oppressing and tormenting the celestials and
drove them out of heaven. All the Gods
went to Brahma and appealed for help.
Brahma said that he cannot destroy
the demon Tarakasura, since the demon had obtained his grace through
severe penance.Brahma suggested that
they should get the help of a cupid, the
God of love and induce him to tempt
Lord Siva who remained absorbed in
His Yoga Samadhi. Let Lord Siva unite
with Goddess Parvati. A powerful son,
Lord Muruga (Kartikeya) will be born
to them and that Boy will destroy the

demon Tarakasura who has been tormenting you all.
Indra, the chief of gods, asked Cupid
to ho with his wife, Rati and his companion Vasanta (the season of spring)
to Mount Kailas the abode of Loed
Siva. Cupid carried out the instruction and standing behind a tree shot
his arrow of passion towards Lord Siva
while Parvati was placing flowers in
His hands. The moment their hands
met, Siva experienced a distracting
feeling. He wondered what disturbed
His Yoga. He looked around and saw
Cupid crouching behind the tree. The
Lord opened Hos “third eye”, the inner
eye of intuition and Cupid was burnt to
ashes by the fire that emanated from
it. That is why the god of love is also
called “Ananga”, which means bodiless.
After burning the Cupid, Lord Siva
ascertained by His Yogic vision that
the birth of Lord Muruga was absolutely necessary to destroy the demon,
Tarakasura. Siva’s seed was thrown
into the fire, which was unable to retain it and so it was thrown into the
Ganges, which in turn threw it into a
reed forest. This is where Lord Muruga
was born and hence He is called “Saravanabhava” (born in reed forest). He
was also Skanda, Siva’s power chastity
preserved through penance. Skanda
was raised by six mothers of the divine
constellation of Krithigai. Karthikeya
divided himself into six babies to be
nursed by six mothers. When Parvati
came and gathered all six babies, He
became Shanmukha, the one with Six
faces and One body.
Shanmukha became Kumara, the
powerful verile adolescent who was
also beautiful and the handsome
(Muruga). He was named the General,
Deva Senapathyof God’s army. In fact
in Bhagawad Gita Lord Krishna says,
“Of the army generals I am Skanda”.
Skanda received from His mother Parasakthi an all-powerfulVel (lance). That
is why He is called Sakthi Velan. He
engaged the armies of Simhamukha,
Surapadman and Tarakasura on a six
day battle and vanquished them all on
the sixth day. That is why the sixth day
(Sashti) of Skanda Sashti is celebrated
with devotion. It is the true victory of
Good over Evil.
According to Swami Sivananda “the
Lord spent His childhood in Tiruchendur and took Mahasamadhi at Kathirgamam in Sri Lanka. If anyone goes to
Kathirgamam with faith, devotion and
piety and stays in the temple for two
or three days, the Lord Himself grants
His vision to the devotee”.

www.monsoonjournal.com

45

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A parfait media publication

World News

Holiday décor to suit any style

Grape Vine Outdoor Decor

Ombre Outdoor Decor

Reclaimed Wood
Media Mantle
Outdoor Inflatables

T

he holidays present an opportunity
to showcase your personal style
through festive décor. While you may
go for more subdued design and colour
palette the rest of the year, this is the
season to add some flare to your space.
From picking the right tree to adding
festive touches, Cindy Jardim, Lowe’s
Canada Styles and Trends Director,
has curated looks to help you get
started.

Deck the Halls:

A classic Christmas theme never
goes out of style. This colour palette
includes a classic, rich, winter red
with touches of black and blues paired
against green for a fresh holiday
combination. Add elegant gold finishes
in chandeliers, plaids in linens and
traditional icons to make your space
look chic and sophisticated.

Comfort and Joy:

Rustic charm will make you feel
warm and cozy while watching the
falling snow out the window in a
comfy chair. Cream, red and green
accents in plush knits and soft textile
throws invite you to curl up by the
fire. As the snow may pile up outside,
this look will add warmth long after
the holidays have ended.

Sweet Noel:

Bring
memories
of
cheerful
gatherings from Christmases past
with vintage details that add a
nostalgic and whimsical feel. Retro

46

inspired colours of aqua sky, poinsettia
red and vivid green pop against a nontraditional tree in white. Dig up those
ornaments and décor pieces from your
childhood and add new bright coloured
small appliances to complete the look.

Cold Spell:

For a modern look, frosty hues along
with metallic finishes complement
today’s sleek interior designs. An icy
palette of pale blue, grey and white
provide an elegant yet contemporary
look. Adding silver accents in lamps
and tables, faceted crystals and
reflective elements in backsplashes
complete the look with added sparkle.

available for everyone. Use the
mantle to display decorations,
family photos, or your TV to
watch your favourite holiday
movies.
Lowe’s Canada has also
teamed up with Canadian
bloggers to help create holiday
design ideas using the four
holiday themes. To find
inspiration on decorating your
home, visit www.lowes.ca.
Pictures seen here are for
Outdoor Decor & Indoor
Heating.

Outdoor Décor:

Add some cheeky fun to your
outdoor décor this season by filling
your space with your favourite holiday
characters. Your outdoor space will
be transformed into a holiday movie
scene with snowmen, reindeer or
holiday Minions for a fun family space!

Elliot Curved Electric
Fireplace Console (silo)

Indoor Heating:

Although it’s cold outside, the
holidays bring along a feeling of
comfort and warmth. Bring holidayjoy
into your home with a wide selection
of electric fireplaces that bring the
family together. Gather around the
flames in your cozy winter space.
Pair the new fireplace with a mantle
that perfectly complements your
space. Lowe’s Canada understands
your style needs and has options

www.monsoonjournal.com

Beale Electric Fireplace Mantle Product Only
11th year in circulation

A Parfait Media publication

11th year in circulation

Monsoon Journal

DECEMBER 2016

www.monsoonjournal.com

47

DECEMBER 2016

Monsoon Journal

A Parfait Media publication

I want to protect my family.
I can help with your goals.
Let’s talk about Money for Life.
Ajith Sabaratnam* CHS™

A Charming House With A 73 X 208 Lot on A Child Friendly Cul-De Sac, In The Waterfront
Community of West Rouge. Lot Has Unlimited Potential For Builders/ Down Sizers/ First Time Home Buyers.
Designed for Modern Living. A Serene Country Home Located Conveniently in The City
W/ Restored Character. Newly Added Bedroom and A Kitchen gives more Living Space.
The Modern Kitchen Boasts Beautiful Wood Cabinetry.

To Buy or Sell
Home, Condo,
Commercial or Business
Contact your friendly Agents from Re/Max Community Realty:

Visit our new website:
New LQQk
Many Interesting Sections
Daily Updates with News items, Articles, Obituaries
and Many more...
54

www.monsoonjournal.com

11th year in circulation

A Parfait Media publication

Monsoon Journal

DECEMBER 2016

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS
PHOTOJOURNALISTS

WANTED

Monsoon Journal is looking for freelance Photographers/Photojournalist to work with the editorial team.
Monsoon Journal has media accreditation to access many corporate events.
Are you passionate to cover events host by Federal, Provincial, Municipal Govt, Healthcare Providers,
Corporate, Small Businesses, Leading Banks, Major events such as Pan Am, Caribana etc.
Are you interested to meet people and cover cultural and social events.

The ideal candidate will gain experience
working in a fast-paced newsroom,
including internships.